A political aide to former Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Kofi Tonto, has criticised the John Dramani Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, accusing them of deceiving Ghanaians by sneaking a controversial fuel levy bill through Parliament under a certificate of urgency.
Speaking in an interview with Kwaku Owusu Adjei (Pato) on Adwenekasa on Original TV, Tonto alleged that the NDC-led government under John Dramani Mahama has scammed the public after campaigning against unpopular taxes such as the E-Levy and the Betting Tax.
According to him, the NDC used public discontent around those taxes to present themselves as pro-people, only to introduce what he described as an even more burdensome fuel levy in secret.
“How can a party promise to scrap the E-Levy and Betting Tax, only to smuggle in a fuel tax in the dead of night? Ghanaians have been scammed,” Tonto said.
According to Kofi Tonto, the newly-introduced fuel levy is far more burdensome than the scrapped E-levy, arguing that while under the E-Levy a person sending GH¢1,000 would have paid just GH¢10 in tax, the fuel levy now forces drivers to pay as much as GH¢83 in tax for purchasing the same amount of fuel.
He emphasised that this represents a heavier financial strain, particularly on transport operators and ordinary Ghanaians, who are already grappling with high living costs.
He further criticised the government’s approach to fiscal policy, accusing the NDC of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” by replacing one set of taxes with another, rather than offering real economic relief.
Tonto also questioned why such a critical policy was not included in the NDC’s first budget presented to Parliament, adding that the sudden urgency suggests a lack of transparency and proper planning.
“If the energy crisis is so critical, why wasn’t this in their initial budget? It’s because they knew it would spark outrage,” he argued.
Tonto expressed concerns over what he described as a “rubber-stamp Parliament” that fails to hold the executive accountable.
Using trotro drivers as an example of those most affected, he lamented:
“Why must a commercial driver with a Nissan Urvan pay GH¢72 just to fill their tank? This is plain thievery.”
BAI/AE
