The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta has stressed that Ministers of State and Managing Directors of state agencies are not exempted from paying road tolls.
Kwasi Amoako-Atta said he had received information that some persons occupying key positions in government refuse to pay tolls when they use toll booths.
“I have heard some people get to the booths and they say I’m managing director or that, and so they just pass,” the minister said.
Speaking at a ceremony to inaugurate a new toll booth at Badukrom in the Shama District of the Western Region, the Minister said attendants at all toll booths have been instructed to take tolls from all vehicles irrespective of the social status of the occupants.
The Minister indicated that the country continues to lose a lot of revenue meant for road development as a result of the refusal of some persons to pay tolls.
“All the toll booth collectors in this country have been instructed that every single individual in Ghana, no matter who are you, you are to pay tolls, if you are a minister you have to pay, if you are managing director you are to pay… I’m the Roads minister now by the grace of God, anywhere I pass, you can ask my driver, I pay my tolls,” the minister said.
Mr. Amoako-Atta said his outfit is going to ensure that the laws concerning the collection of road tolls are strictly enforced.
“Every single individual, no matter who you are in Ghana. You are supposed to pay the appropriate tolls when you get to any of the toll booths anywhere in our country. If you are managing director, you are supposed to pay. If you are managing director, you are supposed to pay. From now onwards, everybody must pay the appropriate tolls at the toll booths and it will no longer be tolerated going forward. We are going to enforce this law,” he stressed.
While indicating that efforts were being made to automate all toll booths in the country, the Minister said only 4 out of the total of 35 toll booths had been automated.
“The highest contributor to that fund is the fuel levy. If you take all the toll booths in the country as at now, we have 35 of them nationwide and out of this 35, it is only four that are automated and the four are the Ngleshie Amanfrom, Accra Plaza, Tema Plaza and the Amasaman booth.”
“What I will do to improve on the toll collection is to improve on the automation of many of them as possible. I will ensure that those that can be automated will be automated to improve toll collection.”
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By: Jonas Nyabor & Philip Nii Larte | citinewsroom.com | Ghana
