Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea, has expressed support for calls for some petroleum taxes to be removed as part of measures to reduce fuel prices.
The move, according to the NPP MP, will help cushion the section of the populace crying foul over the skyrocketing prices of the commodity.
Last week, a gallon of petrol in Ghana crossed the ¢10 mark, triggering concerns nationwide with drivers planning to increase transportation fares by 20% for a second time this month.
The levies that make up the cost include Road Fund Levy, Energy Debt Recovery Levy, Energy Fund Levy, Price Stabilisation and Recovery Levy, Sanitation and Pollution Levy, Energy Sector Recovery Levy, Special Petroleum Tax and Primary Distribution Margin.
These are the components that some experts have said must be reviewed downwards.
Mr Atta Akyea who doubles as the Chairman of the Mines and Energy Committee of Parliament shares a similar view.
He told Accra-based Citi News that “some taxes were underpinned by the fact that crude oil prices may go low, and therefore we needed some money as back up in the event that it goes terrible for us.”
“Now, the reasons for some taxes are redundant, like crude prices going up, and we will have some windfall, but these are the factors that will speak to him.”
He insists that the time is ripe for “a paradigm shift, given the new facts and the numbers.”
The MP also urged that the Tema Oil Refinery’s capacity be beefed up to ensure that more volumes of oil are refined locally.
“If we get the refineries working hard, I’m sure within West Africa, people will come to refine their oil in Tema, and we will ultimately benefit,” he added