The Minister for Roads and Highways, who vowed not to bring back road toll, claiming it was worthless and a nuisance to commuters, now says it is coming back in 2023, but not to be collected by physically challenged persons.
According to Kwesi Amoako-Atta, the payment of road toll, will be via electronic means with commuters expected to pay more.
The minister on Thursday, November 18, 2021, unilaterally halted payment when the 2022 Budget had not been approved by Parliament.
In less than a year, its reintroduction is now one of the revenue measures contained in the 2023 budget presented to Parliament by the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, last week.
This was done immediately government announced 1.5percent E-Levy collection on mobile money transactions. It is assumed that government’s failure to accrue the needed revenue from the E-Levy, paved way for the return of the road toll.
“The fiscal policy measures to underpin the 2023 Budget for consideration and approval by Parliament include the reintroduction of tolls on selected public roads and highways with a renewed focus on leveraging technology in the collection to address the inefficiencies characterized by the previous toll collection regime,” paragraph 462 of the 2023 Budget statement reads.
Payment of toll on public roads, ceased in November 2021, as part of policy measures announced by the government in the 2022 Budget.
Debating the 2023 budget statement on Wednesday, the Minority members led by the Minority Spokesperson on Roads and Transport, Governs Kwame Agbodza, welcomed this new decision.
“We welcome the decision by the Roads Minister to bring back road tolls. We take no pride in saying we told you so. Mr Speaker, it was populist, unnecessary and they were there shouting we are going to do it because we have e-levy…today they have brought a law here that they want to bring back road toll,” he said.
Nonetheless, the Minority stated that they will offer their full support only if the revenue from the collection of the toll, would be used solely on road maintenance.
“We are going to build a modern expressway which will come with tolling facilities, but those tolling facilities will be electronic tolling facility…if it has to come, it will be done electronically,” the Roads Minister said.
He urged road users to be prepared to pay more money for the toll to enable the government to construct enough good roads.
“The whole year, we were getting an average of GH₵78 million depending upon the ground condition, that amount of money cannot even build 10km of road. We were paying the lowest toll in the whole world. Meanwhile, we want excellent and good roads in our country.
“The fiscal policy measures to underpin the 2023 Budget for consideration and approval by Parliament, include the reintroduction of tolls on selected public roads and highways with a renewed focus on leveraging technology in the collection to address the inefficiencies characterized by the previous toll collection regime,” paragraph 462 of the 2023 Budget statement reads.
Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament, has stated that they will offer their full support, only if the revenue from the collection of the toll would be used solely on road maintenance.
About a year ago, the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, directed the Roads and Highways Minister to reverse his decision to suspend the collection of road tolls because, in his view, the Minister acted wrongly by issuing that command.
The Speaker said the Budget Statement and Government’s Economic Policy, are policy proposals that the Minister of Finance has presented to the House and until they are approved nobody has the authority to start implementing something that doesn’t exist.
He, therefore, called on him to honourably withdraw that directive and warned that failure to do so, will be a serious breach of the directive of the Speaker and that would amount to Contempt of Parliament since the House is yet to debate the Government’s decision to scrap the tolls throughout the country which are good source of revenue into the state kitty.
“I think that it is proper for us to direct the Minister, a Member of this House, in fact a Senior Member of this House, I think that he might have acted wrongly and therefore, I call on him to reverse this decision,” the Speaker ruled.
Ken Ofori-Atta during the Budget Statement presentation, indicated that Ghana’s roads need fixing and are being fixed, but considering the plight of Ghanaians, he said Government has abolished all tolls on public roads and bridges which takes effect immediately the Budget is approved.
The Roads and Highways Minister shockingly rushed to direct the immediate discontinuation of toll collection on all public roads and bridges across the country a few hours after the Finance Minister presented the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to be pursued next year by the Government.
The Minority Leader, during the day’s deliberations questioned the powers that the Minister relied on to issue such a directive that toll collection at the various toll booths and bridges across the country, must be halted effective Thursday, November 18, 2021, when the Budget had not been approved by Parliament.
Mr Agbodza in support of the Minority Leader, said it was quite clear that the Minister clearly sidestepped Parliament by pretending that he as a Minister, not even the Finance Minister, has the right to waive taxes in this country.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea , on his part defended the Minister, saying he did not disrespect Parliament and the laws by issuing that order when the budget had not been approved, but rather the directive is an administrative error which should not be.
An attempt by the Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, to challenge the Speaker’s directive was unsuccessful, because the Speaker advanced superior legislative arguments to buttress his decision.
