Assin South MP Rev John Ntim Fordjour is the Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee
The Member of Parliament for Assin South and Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament, Rev John Ntim Fordjour, has criticised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government over the recently increased Energy Sector Levy, dubbed the “Dumsor Levy” (D-Levy).
In a social media post on Friday, June 5, 2025, the MP accused the NDC of deceiving Ghanaians with the new levy, which he claims imposes a far heavier burden on citizens than the previously abolished Electronic Transfer Levy (E-Levy).
According to Rev Ntim Fordjour, the D-Levy charges Ghanaians GH¢1 on every litre of fuel, translating to a tax of GH¢83 for every GH¢1,000 worth of fuel purchased.
He compared this to the E-Levy, which imposed a GH¢10 charge on every GH¢1,000 sent via Mobile Money (MoMo).
The MP highlighted that while the E-Levy was widely criticised and eventually abolished, the D-Levy is a much larger financial burden — eight times higher, as noted by former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia during an NPP thank you tour.
“On E-Levy, you paid GH¢10 on every GH¢1,000 MoMo you sent, yet we all agreed it needed to be abolished. On D-Levy, you’ll pay GH¢83 on every GH¢1,000 of fuel you buy.
“Was D-Levy part of NDC’s manifesto? Would you have voted for NDC if they promised you that you’ll pay GH¢83 on every GH¢1,000 fuel you buy?” Rev Ntim Fordjour stated in his post.
The MP further argued that the D-Levy would have a ripple effect on the cost of living, as drivers and ‘okada’ riders are likely to pass on the additional costs to passengers.
Private car users, he added, would be even worse off.
“Drivers and okada riders will definitely pass this on to passengers. Private car users will be worse off. In the end, our citizens will be ripped off big time for the votes they cast for the NDC. People were unhappy with the GH¢10 levy on GH¢1,000, but now will be extremely frustrated having to pay GH¢83 levy on every GH¢1,000 fuel. NDC has disingenuously SCAMMED Ghana with D-Levy! NDC’s Dumsor Levy is far worse than E-Levy, that was demonised,” he added.
Rev Ntim Fordjour further criticised the NDC for denying the prevalence of power outages, locally referred to as “Dumsor,” and for failing to provide a load-shedding schedule when demanded by Ghanaians.
He claimed that the NDC had promised to abolish Dumsor but instead introduced the D-Levy to fund efforts to keep the lights on, a move he described as a betrayal of public trust.
The Energy Sector Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, was passed by Parliament under a certificate of urgency on June 2, 2025, and has sparked some discontent among Ghanaians.
The law imposes a hike of GH¢1 on the existing levy on petroleum.
BAI/AE