Some scores of Tink Tank Groups have called on the Akufo-Addo government to effect changes in the country’s fuel pricing system to help cushion transport operators, vehicles owners and passengers as well.
The call on government came up when the Center for Policy Scrutiny (CPS) held a public forum on the theme: the balance between affordability and funding of public transport interventions which was held in Accra.
The forum which follows the recent fuel price increments and agitations from the various transport operators brought together players in the transport sector and other policy advocators to deliberate on how best the matter could be addressed.
Speaking at the forum, a Research Fellow at the Center for Social Policy Study at the U-G, Dr Kojo Opoku stated that, it will be difficult to see the government scab the taxing being suggested by the operators but he appealed to the government to generate money elsewhere to subsidize the fuel price which he says will help all and sundry.
The General Secretary of the Ghana Road Transport Coordinating Council (GRTCC), Emmanuel Ohene Yeboah also was of the view that, some of the taxes on the fuel should be scrapped by the government as he says burden of fuel prices should not always be forced on Ghanaians.
The General Secretary of the GPRTU, Godfred Abulbire also re-echoed on the taxes that need scrapping as he say, most of the taxes on the fuel price are duplicates and a way for the government to make more money thus their protest.
He added that as of now most of the buses provided are not running.
"Most of them are broken down the cylinder engine and yes, they structure wise which they had seen at cost of the bus came now that we feed the engines and lower capacity engines. So if we look at the number of passengers to carry pay the waiter to curry against the engine, the engine cannot sustain and run for a long time. Right so that's for me" he revealed.
Responding to scrapping of some vehicles, he said "These are the ones we think government should scrap but on further discussion with the minister last Tuesday, we were made to understand that if we talk about any debt recovery, it composed of the fuel and then the power and if the depth on the fuel which was compiled legacy as a result of the subsidy that was engaged, that was allotted 1% to one person were being charged, so perhaps to one person was removed from that legacy depth levy that's covered up the whole 49 personal level."
"On petroleum tax is like a VAT charge on food. I've gone on fairly all the levies are up to about 18 Agent all the fares for we have mentioned taxes that need that. They're just duplicating roads on Is there any is there Energy Fund, or about 18 of them, which within some of them are duplications, just to make money from that is another point" he concluded.
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Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith