The National Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Richard Ahiagbah, says the GHS1 levy on every litre of fuel, recently introduced by the NDC government, was imposed with ease—contrary to President John Dramani Mahama’s claims that it was a tough decision.
Parliament passed the Energy Sector Levies (Amendment) Bill, 2025, under a certificate of urgency on Tuesday, June 3.
The bill introduces an additional GHS1 charge per litre of fuel to help tackle growing debts in the energy sector.
President Mahama has described the move as a “difficult but necessary and justifiable” action to save the energy sector from total collapse.
Speaking during the presentation of the National Economic Dialogue report on Wednesday, June 4, the President explained that the levy was introduced to prevent recurring power crises, settle legacy debts, and ensure consistent fuel supply for stable electricity.
“This decision, though difficult, is necessary and justifiable,” President Mahama said.
But Ahiagbah disagrees, describing the tax as a “compensation for systemic power theft and corruption” at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), which could have been avoided altogether.
“It is, in fact, an incredibly weak and convenient choice. A difficult decision would involve confronting the underlying causes of these inefficiencies and working to resolve them,” he argued.
“For context, the Oxford Dictionary defines ‘difficult’ as needing considerable effort or skill to accomplish, deal with, or understand.”
The NPP spokesperson also accused the NDC government of failing to honour its promise to scrap taxes such as the COVID-19 levy.
“Yet he has now implemented a D-levy whose burden on Ghanaians is greater than the E-levy he and the NDC criticised to gain power on December 7, 2024,” Ahiagbah said.
“Ghanaians, we must prepare ourselves for more broken promises and difficulties ahead.”
