The Majority Leader in Parliament, Mahama Ayariga, has justified the introduction of the fuel levy.
He says the passage of the Bill will eventually end the persistent power crises known as “dumsor”.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, June 3, he said, “contribute one cedi, just one cedi per litre of fuel to secure a stable power future”.
Parliament has approved the Energy Sector Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2025 despite fierce opposing views from the Minority Caucus.
Presenting the Bill on the floor of the House, the Minister of Finance Cassiel Ato Forson noted that, the Bill is intended to raise additional revenue to address the nation’s crippling energy sector debt and also ensure stable power supply.
The Bill which was laid under a certificate of urgency is expected levy GHS 1 on petroleum products and raise revenue to cover the energy sector’s total indebtedness which stands at US$3.1 billion as of March 2025.
The Minister assured Parliament that the impact of the new levy on ex-pump prices would be absorbed by the gains made from the strong performance of the Ghana Cedi meaning consumers would not experience an immediate price hike.
However, the Minority Caucus led by their leader Hon. Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin vehemently opposed the Bill, describing it as an inappropriate burden on Ghanaians and E-levy in another form.