The Minority Caucus in Parliament has launched a blistering attack on the Mahama-led administration over what it describes as a ‘shameful U-turn’ on the controversial Energy Sector Levies (Amendment) Act, 2025, popularly referred to as the Dumsor Levy.
This follows the Ghana Revenue Authority’s announcement of an indefinite suspension of the levy’s implementation, originally scheduled for June 16, 2025.
Minority Leader Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin described the postponement as “a clear sign of fundamental incompetence, hypocrisy, and chaotic governance.”
The levy, which sought to raise funds for shortfalls and debts within the energy sector, has faced widespread public resistance, with many seeing it as an unjustified burden amid rising cost-of-living pressures. The Minority insists the levy should not have been contemplated in the first place.
“At a juncture when Ghanaians are contending with harsh cost-of-living pressures, the introduction of supplementary fuel levies is not merely insensitive but economically counterproductive,” the Caucus noted.
The Minority leader took particular aim at what he termed the government’s ‘intellectual dishonesty,’ accusing President John Mahama and his administration of adopting rhetoric and strategies they vehemently opposed while in opposition.
“Scarcely months into their tenure, they are adopting precisely the same rhetoric they once denounced… demonstrating the zenith of political opportunism.”
“It is thoroughly reprehensible and profoundly hypocritical that the very Government which castigated the previous administration for citing global events as economic pressures is now using the Middle East crisis to justify its failures,” Afenyo-Markin stated.
The Minority also slammed the government for failing to properly consult stakeholders before pushing the levy through Parliament, labelling the approach as one of ‘trial and error.’
“The initial decision was taken without adequate consultation — a manifest indication of governance characterised by improvisation,” he added.
The Minority Caucus rejected the postponement as insufficient and demanded the immediate tabling of a repeal bill under a certificate of urgency.
“The Government must forthwith convene Parliament… Any response falling short of complete repeal shall prove unacceptable both to the Minority and to the people of Ghana,” he said.
Afenyo-Markin emphasized that President Akufo-Addo’s administration maintained a stable power supply without such levies, adding that ‘competent leadership’ does not require additional taxes to deliver basic services.
The Minority leader also raised concerns about the worsening power supply under the current government and called for urgent reforms at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
The statement accused the administration of abandoning key initiatives such as the Loss Reduction Programme introduced under Akufo-Addo, despite the availability of private contractors to deliver new prepaid meters.
According to him, communities across the country continue to make desperate appeals for prepaid meters, while others remain exposed to unregulated power consumption. This, he said, represents a damning indictment of the Government’s abject failure in energy sector stewardship.
The Minority is now demanding that Energy Minister John Jinapor present all policy documents on power sector reforms to Parliament for full scrutiny.
The Minority leader reminded the government of its cammpaign promises and warned that the imposition of ‘punitive fiscal burdens’ flies in the face of President Mahama’s electoral commitments.
“The Government must provide relief, not hardship. The Dumsor Levy must go — not postponed, not revised, but repealed in full,” Afenyo-Markin declared.
The Minority has vowed to resist any further attempts to impose what they call ‘regressive fiscal policies,’ and is rallying Ghanaians to join the call for the total withdrawal of the levy.
