The Member of Parliament for Effia and a member of the Finance Committee of Parliament, Isaac Boamah-Nyarko, has criticised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the John Dramani Mahama administration over the newly-approved 1% energy levy on petroleum products, describing it as a betrayal of public trust.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb‘s George Ayisi, Boamah-Nyarko added his voice to criticisms from energy experts and some Ghanaians who argue that the levy unfairly adds to the financial burden of already struggling consumers.
While recognising the financial difficulties facing Ghana’s energy sector, particularly the growing debts of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the MP stressed that these inefficiencies should not serve as a justification for imposing extra taxes on the public.
“We all agree that the debts are huge and we need to do something about it. The energy minister said they were discussing with the IPPs to revise some of the charges downwards. He said they are trying to reintroduce some partnership to ECG and bring in the private sector. If there is a need to create some monetary space to pay for the energy sector debts, do we need GH¢1 per litre?” he asked.
Parliament, on Tuesday, June 3, 2025, passed the Energy Sector Levy (Amendment) Bill, which introduces a GH¢1 charge on every liter of petroleum product.
The Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, said the levy is expected to generate GH¢5.7 billion to support the energy sector and sustain electricity supply nationwide.
However, Boamah-Nyarko argued that the levy could lead to a surge in prices of goods and services, further worsening the economic hardships faced by citizens, describing the tax as unexpected, which could eventually undermine confidence among Ghanaians.
“The Ghanaian won’t believe the politician or the government, because the government said it is going to reduce taxes, now it is increasing more taxes. Prices were coming down, because of this, prices would either remain the same or go up. The impact is real, nobody should chicken out. If we don’t put our acts together, this would be one of the decisions to bring the confidence of the people down,” he stated.
Watch his full interview below:
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