The Economic Fighters League has kicked against plans by the government to increase road tolls in the country.
The group has also called on the government not to reintroduce the compulsory towing levy as being suggested by a section of Ghanaians.
The government in its 2021 budget indicated its preparedness to improve road infrastructure by reviewing existing road tolls and aligning them to current market rates.
“The Economic Fighters League emphatically rejects the decision by the intention of the government to increase road tolls and reintroduce the compulsory towing levy. The compulsory towing levy, which the people of Ghana strongly repulsed and forced the government to abort in 2017 is being smuggled in behind veils with new euphemistic excuses,” the group said in a statement.
In the statement signed by Fighter-General Hardi Yakubu, the group decried the “heightening cost of construction materials, food, electricity bills, etc” and advised the government to “recover stolen money as surcharged by the Auditor-General’s annual reports in an effort to identify the funds required to execute the stated tasks”.
It further urged the government that “Ghanaians are tired of taxation without transparency and value for money” and are sceptical of their intention to tackle road accidents and infrastructure.
Below is the full statement
Ghanaians are tired of taxation without transparency and value for money.
Press Statement
22/04/2021
Review of road toll and the reintroduction of the Compulsory towing levy.
The Economic Fighters League emphatically rejects the decision by the intention of the government to increase road tolls and reintroduce the compulsory towing levy. The compulsory towing levy, which the people of Ghana strongly repulsed and forced the government to abort in 2017 is being smuggled in behind veils with new euphemistic excuses.
The new imposed taxes announced in the 2021 budget are already set to weigh effect on the people of Ghana from May 1, 2021. The people of Ghana are already saddled with the heightening cost of construction materials, food, electricity bills, water bills, cost of domestic house rents among many other basics. As always, it is the people who have and continued to suffer most.
Ghanaians are tired of taxation without transparency and value for money. It is unintelligible and reductive for the government to seek to suggest that the introduction of more taxes or increasing the rates of existing taxes is the solution to road accidents when the state is currently spending national funds on some of the most expensive roads in Africa yet delivering some of the most poorly built roads. An increase in expenditure cannot be considered proportional to safety when national resources are constantly diverted to private hands.
We at Fighters and other well-meaning Ghanaians are sceptical of the commitment of current and/past administrations to curb road accidents and to improve road infrastructure. Our reasons are easily found in their track records of the vicious stealing from the public purse as captured in the wrongfully removed Auditor-General’s reports.
We will support any serious move to recover stolen money as surcharged by the Auditor-General’s annual reports as an effort to identify the funds required to execute the stated tasks, rather than allow ourselves to be further taxed on non-delivery, another extractionary measure without transparency, accountability and value for money.
Revolutionary Regards,
Hardi Yakubu Fighter-General