The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC) Ghana has given a seven-day ultimatum to the government to withdraw the price stabilisation and recovery levies or face its wrath.
Prices of fuel are expected to go up because the levy which is a key component of the fuel price build-up has been restored.
The levy was suspended last year as a means of reducing the burden on consumers.
However, with the grace period ending on 31 January, the National Petroleum Authority in its latest release re-introduced the levy on petrol, diesel and Liquified Petroleum Gas.
Earlier, the Institute of Energy Security had predicted an increase in fuel prices because of the high prices of crude oil on the international market.
Now, speaking to Asaase News, Duncan Amoah, the executive secretary of the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers Ghana, (COPEC) said this is not the time to reintroduce the levy.
“You cannot continue to charge me for a Stabilization and Recovery Levy, money meant to stabilize fuel prices for me when prices are awfully high. And no penny is coming from official coffers to stabilize anything. Neither are we seeing any under-recovery that we need to pay for.
…If we need money to subsidize premix, go back to parliament and request for three pesewas, four pesewas, two pesewas, but don’t keep on using that façade of a levy to continuously increase fuel prices.
…We think that the stabilization and recovery Levy has indeed, outlived its usefulness and must go. Just as some other taxes have outlived their usefulness. The Finance Ministry will have seven days to reconsider this or else, we will march there immediately,” he stated.
Nicholas Brown
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