The Ranking Member of Parliament’s Economy and Development Committee, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has renewed calls for the government to completely withdraw the controversial GH¢1 per litre fuel levy, warning that it is already triggering fuel price hikes and validating earlier concerns raised by the Minority in Parliament.

In an interview on Citi Eyewitness News on Wednesday, July 16, he accused the government of pushing the levy through Parliament without proper scrutiny and failing to heed warnings about its potential impact on fuel prices and cost of living.

“We continue to encourage the government to drop this levy,” he said. “The reasons that we gave several weeks ago when they first smuggled it through—which reasons they dismissed—are gradually bearing themselves out.”

The levy, which took effect on Wednesday, July 16, was introduced to support the country’s struggling power sector. However, the Minority and key stakeholders in the transport and oil industries have condemned it as poorly timed and harmful to consumers already burdened by rising living costs.

Nkrumah recalled that the Energy Minister had previously assured Ghanaians the levy would not lead to higher fuel prices, even describing it as an example of “smart, innovative” policymaking.

“But we drew their attention that the maths was bad, and that if you introduce this levy, prices could go up by an average of about 8%,” the former Information Minister explained.

“Even after they suspended it a number of times, you are beginning to observe that as they are beginning to introduce the levy, fuel prices are going to go up by that 8% that we mentioned.”