The Minority in Parliament is demanding transparency and accountability from the government over the management of the controversial GH¢1 per litre fuel levy introduced to help address Ghana’s energy challenges.
Deputy Ranking Member on Parliament’s Energy Committee, Collins Adomako-Mensah, made the call at a Minority press conference held on Monday, April 28, stating that the levy was introduced as a dedicated funding mechanism to resolve the energy crisis.
“Ghanaians will recall that a special levy of 1 Ghana cedi per litre was imposed on fuel, expressly presented as a mechanism to address the energy crisis,” he stated.
According to him, the levy was accepted by citizens amid economic hardship on the understanding that the proceeds would be strictly used to stabilise the power sector.
However, he raised concerns over what he described as a lack of accountability in the utilisation of the funds.
“Ghanaians complied, yet to this day, no report on this levy has been presented to Parliament. No public accounting has been made. No independent audit has been published,” he said.
The Minority also questioned the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Finance over the absence of detailed disclosures on the levy.
“How much revenue has been collected since the introduction of the levy? Into which accounts were the funds paid? What specific budgets and payments have been made? These are basic questions that must be answered,” he stressed.
He further argued that despite government claims of financial stabilisation in the energy sector, outstanding debts still persist.
“While the government announced that it had cleared debts to IPPs, available data suggests otherwise. We are informed that over $500 million is still owed to IPPs and over $200 million to fuel suppliers,” he noted.
The Minority is therefore calling on the government to provide a comprehensive update on the financial status of the energy sector, particularly regarding the levy.
They are also demanding that the Ministers for Energy and Finance, upon the resumption of Parliament, present a full, detailed and independently verified report on the so-called Dumsor Levy.
“We are calling for full disclosure of all collections, all disbursements, and the outcomes of every expenditure,” the spokesperson said.
The Minority warned that failure to account for the levy would undermine public trust.
“If the levy has not been properly accounted for, Ghanaians have a right to know,” he added.
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Source: www.myjoyonline.com
