Private Legal Practitioner and Energy Expert Kwame Jantuah has stated that as difficult as it is dumsor levy is a necessary evil.
He asserted that certain explanations should have been given before Ghanaians were told of the one Cedi.
According to Kwame Jantuah, if the entire country is being asked to share the burden of the energy sector debt, appointees of the government must also pay for the fuel levy.
He asserted that appointees of the government do not feel the pressure on Ghanaians because they are given free fuel coupons.
Speaking on the Key Points on TV3 on Saturday, June 7, Kwame Jantuah stated, “Do we have a debt? We have a debt. How do we pay that debt? If this was your own private business, and you have a debt, would you not sit with your family and discuss with them that you have debt to pay, so you want to sell the car?
“As difficult as it is. It [ Fuel levy] is a necessary evil…However, I would have thought that certain explanations would be given before being told of the one Cedi. Where do we stand with ESLA? I would have expected the Finance Minister to go into details. I expected him to also look at the nominees for the president.
He asserted that appointees of the government do not feel the pressure on Ghanaians because they are given free fuel coupons.
Kwame Jantuah added, “Do they buy fuel? We say everybody should share to clear this debt, the nominees of the president, how do they get fuel? Do they buy fuel with their money to buy fuel? How do we get them to also buy fuel to share in this burden?
“It is not only one political party that has created this debt. Since we cannot continue to sit in debt. How long is this levy going to stay in the books? Is it going to be till thy Kingdom come? I think we need clarification on that. I expect transparency as to how the money is being used.”
He added, “Government appointees do not feel the pressure that other Ghanaians feel because they use fuel coupons.”
Meanwhile, John Abdulai Jinapor the Minister of Energy and Green Transition has stated that the newly introduced Energy Sector Levy is not to pay the Energy Sector’s legacy debts.
According to the Energy minister, it is to pay for liquid fuel.
He revealed that the cost of liquid fuel is not included in the electricity tariff structure, which poses financing challenges to the government.
