Nii Lantey VanderpuyeThe National Coordinator of the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP), Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, is calling on Ghanaians to support the recently approved GHS1 per litre fuel levy, warning that failure to do so could result in a drastic 50% hike in electricity tariffs.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Thursday, June 5, Vanderpuye described the levy as a necessary step to protect consumers from even more burdensome energy costs.
“This levy is meant to resolve a problem that we have created ourselves, because if we do not do that, realistically, what we are saying is that we must pay 50% more for electricity. You would want to pay 50% more for electricity, or you would contribute to the 1 cedi, or, cumulatively, we can resolve the problem instead of shifting into the pricing of electricity,” he explained.
According to Vanderpuye, the tax is a preventive measure to avoid the resurgence of the debilitating power outages locally referred to as “dumsor.” He argued that the levy, while not ideal, is the lesser of two difficult options.
“It is either tariffs or taxes. So we thought that there is a need for us to have this tax to generate revenue to meet the demands, so that we do not increase the tariff,” he said.
With the energy sector facing immense financial pressure, the government hopes this measure will safeguard the country from further disruptions in power supply while easing long-term fiscal strain.
