A private legal practitioner, Austin Kwabena Brako-Powers, has backed the Energy Sector Levies (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which will see vehicle users pay a GH₵1 levy on every litre of fuel purchased.
Although he supports the levy, he said the GH₵1 charged on a litre of fuel is “too high” and proposed instead GH₵0.50 pesewas.
“I support the D-Levy. However, instead of GHS1, I want to propose GHS0.50ps,” Mr Brako-Powers said in a Facebook post on June 4, 2025.
Mr Brako-Powers explained that reducing the levy from GH₵1 to 50 pesewas will be a more reasonable charge for a litre of fuel currently selling at GH₵0.95 pesewas for petrol, GH₵0.93 for diesel, and GH₵0.73 for LPG.
Ghana’s Parliament passed the Energy Sector Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was submitted to the House by the Finance Minister, Cassiel Ato Forson, on June 3, 2025, under a certificate of urgency.
The Bill recommended an upward adjustment in the Energy Sector Shortfall and Debt Repayment Levy to raise additional revenue, support the payment of the energy sector debt, and resolve the country’s power challenges.
Reacting to the passage of the Bill, Mr Brako-Powers said the levy is “far, far better than the E-Levy, which was not backed by any proper reasoning.”
“The only motive of the E-Levy was to steal from poor Ghanaians to enrich Nana Akufo-Addo’s government,” the lawyer and synthetic media researcher said.
Mr Brako-Powers said motorists and car owners should not have any problems with the new levy, provided it is used for the right purpose.
“My only prayer is that John Dramani Mahama’s government should use it to solve the problems with the energy sector,” the lawyer and development communications practitioner said.
