The Member of Parliament for Effia Constituency, Isaac Boamah-Nyarko, has questioned President John Dramani Mahama over the lack of extensive consultations before the implementation of the GH¢1 fuel levy.
According to him, it would have been prudent for the government to engage stakeholders in the energy sector as well as the general public on the levy and its significance to the state before its passage.
Boamah-Nyarko chastised President John Mahama for his swiftness in assenting to the bill after its passage by Parliament without seeking the opinions of Ghanaians.
“Why is the president trying to explain that it was a difficult decision yet he had to take it? The bigger conversation is, why were Ghanaians not informed? Why didn’t he engage people, because at the end of the day, we are the ones going to pay, so why didn’t they allow us to think through it and see if there could be alternatives?” he questioned during an interview with George Ayisi on GhanaWeb TV.
The Effia MP also indicated that the levy could lead to a surge in transportation fares, as drivers would be heavily hit financially following the recent reduction.
“The energy experts tell us that there are other administrative expenses that go into this GH¢1, and so they are going to pass it on to the people of Ghana, so the net effect is beyond the one cedi per liter… Now, the lorry stations that reduced their fares are contemplating whether to increase it back to some percentage. So, the impact has been very huge,” he added.
The GH¢1 fuel levy was introduced through the Energy Sector Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which Parliament passed on Tuesday, June 3, 2025.
The measure imposes a GH¢1 tax on every liter of petroleum product, a decision that has drawn criticisms from transport unions, the general public, and the Minority in Parliament.
However, government officials, including Minister of Finance Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, have defended the levy, calling it a necessary intervention to address the country’s $3.1 billion energy sector debt.
SB/AE