The parliamentary minority has urged the government to abolish the GH₵1 levy on petroleum products, citing that it has outlived its utility and exacerbates the financial strain on citizens amidst escalating fuel prices.
Collins Adomako Mensah, Deputy Ranking Member of the Energy Committee, stated that the current tensions between Israel, the United States, and Iran have resulted in increased global crude oil prices, directly affecting fuel costs in Ghana.
“Keeping the one Ghana Cedi levy is punishment,” he said, urging the government to repeal it immediately under a certificate of urgency and conduct a comprehensive review of all taxes and levies embedded in petroleum prices.
As of March 2026’s second pricing window, diesel prices stood at GH₵15.60 per litre, while petrol prices had surged past GH₵12.40 per litre.
The 2025 Energy Sector Levy’s Amendment Act introduced roughly GH₵1 to the price structure, elevating the total levy for debt repayment and sector shortfall to GH₵1.95 for petrol and GH₵1.93 for diesel.
According to the minority, between January and December 2025, the government had settled the energy sector’s outstanding debt of approximately $1.47 billion, including repayment of GH₵597 million drawn on the World Bank partial risk guarantee and settlement of all pending gas invoices.
The lawmaker posited that “With the World Bank guarantee fully restored and the energy sector debt cleared, the justification for the GH₵1 levy has completely evaporated.”
According to him, the government ought to consider suspending or restructuring additional embedded levies to protect consumers from global oil price shocks.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
