The Minority in Parliament says it has been vindicated following a nearly 10 per cent increase in fuel prices after the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government implemented a new GH¢1 tax on every litre of petrol and diesel.
Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Wednesday, July 16, the Minority’s spokesperson on the Economy, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, criticised the Mahama-led administration for ignoring earlier warnings that the levy—passed under the pretext of debt recovery—would directly result in higher fuel costs and worsen economic hardship.
“The first thing to note today is that the warnings we gave from the Minority Caucus have, unfortunately, seen the light of day. We warned that, contrary to the government’s claim that this levy—this D levy—will not increase fuel prices, it will increase fuel prices by 8% from day one,” he stated.
According to him, the government had insisted that the new levy would not impact pump prices.
“My brother John Jinapor was talking about how it only takes an innovative government to introduce a levy and keep prices stable. Well, the cat is out of the bag. Today, prices have gone up by an average of about 8%. That’s the first point,” Mr. Nkrumah said.
He added that the increase would not be a one-off, warning that any future rise in global crude oil prices would compound the effect of the tax and further drive up local prices.
“The fair thing is that this is the time when, because of the strengthening of our currency, Ghanaians should be enjoying some relief,” he said. “Instead, the government is rather introducing this levy, denying the people of Ghana that relief.”
He warned that the hike would cascade through the economy, affecting agriculture, transport, and food prices—ultimately worsening inflation and pushing more Ghanaians into economic distress.
“When farmers are buying fuel for their tractors and machines, it will affect them. It will then go on to affect the transport of not just people, but food items,” he said. “General price levels will go up by this 8% they have introduced.”
Responding to government claims that fuel prices remain below levels at the start of 2025, the Ofoase-Ayirebi MP described the comparison as flawed and short-sighted.
“Who knows—in a few days or weeks—you could have another global market challenge that pushes baseline prices so high that your 13 or 12 cedis per litre won’t matter anymore,” he explained. “That is why you must keep levies minimal, so that when disruptions come, your people are cushioned.”
Mr. Nkrumah revealed that the Minority will soon present a detailed analysis to Parliament, showing how several existing fuel levies have outlived their purpose. He urged the government to roll them back to ease the burden on citizens.
“We are going to showcase to the country how many of those levies have outlived their usefulness and ask the government to pull back, so the people of Ghana can benefit from the interventions we’ve all made to bring this economy to where it is,” he said.
Fuel prices are currently averaging GH¢13.49 per litre at major pumps across Accra, with some OMCs selling as high as GH¢13.69 for petrol and GH¢14.30 for diesel, according to the latest monitoring by COPEC.
