The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) has urged Parliament to kick against government’s plans to introduce the Sanitation and Pollution Levy, which seeks to charge 10 pesewas per litre of petrol/diesel.
Speaking to the media, Mr Duncan Amoah, the Executive Secretary of COPEC, noted Ghanaians are already paying too much for petroleum products and should not be overburdened with new fuel taxes.
According to him, Ghana is losing GH¢1.9 billion annually through fuel smuggling because of loopholes in the petroleum value chain and urged the government to fix those loopholes rather than introduce new fuel taxes.
Further stating that fuel prices had increased by 17 per cent over the past two months from GH¢4.7 per litre to GH¢5.45.
He asked government to put the necessary measures in place to ensure the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) functioned efficiently so that petroleum products could be processed locally as that would go a long way to reduce the cost of fuel in the country.
Mr Amoah also called for a review of the Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy since the purpose for its introduction was not being adhered to by government.
Meanwhile Nana Amoasi VII, the Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security, has said 50 percent of the prices of fuel were made up of taxes.
He said if the current increase in petroleum products continued, Ghanaians would be paying GH¢40 per gallon of petrol by 2024.
During the presentation of the 2021 Budget Statement to Parliament on Friday, March 12, Caretaker Finance Minister Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, announced government’s intention to charge 10 pesewas on a litre of petrol/diesel to manage sanitation and pollution challenges in the country.
