COPEC kicks against proposed 10-pesewa fuel levy

The intended 10-pesewa fee on petroleum goods has drawn considerable resistance from the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), which warns that it could put Ghanaians under unnecessary financial strain.

His comments follow Interior Minister Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak’s recent plan to impose a 10-pesewa fee on each liter of fuel bought.

The charge is meant to help the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), which has long battled with antiquated firefighting equipment, purchase fire tenders.

Mr. Amoah emphasized the proposed levy’s economic ramifications while voicing concerns about the ongoing burden on fuel customers.

Duncan Amoah warned that the decision to implement the levy might have significant effects on the economy, especially on transportation and worker wages, in an interview with Eyewitness News on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

“Until our political actors appreciate the enormity of pressure on people’s pockets, we will always be looking for quick fixes to our problems, and again, the lowest-hanging fruit will be petroleum. If you do the numbers in an armchair fashion, say have 460 million litres, and we do the 10 pesewas levy, that will be GHC46 million every month, you can easily deduce that we will make money.

“But that GHC46 million you are collecting every month, the cost push factor on your economy could be dire simply because your commercial transport operators will now complain and add on to the transport fares.

“Your workers are going to pay more, which means they will come back to the negotiation table and demand higher salaries. So, on one hand, you are seeking a quick fix, you want the money to be able to retool, but you would have ended up creating an issue that will come back to bite your economy, and you may now be looking for a bigger fix,” he said.

He also asked the government to hold more extensive talks with Ghanaians in order to look for other ways to pay for basic services.

“So, if he does a consultative process, asking the average Ghanaians what we can do to help the fire service, I am sure he will get some answers. If you don’t get pragmatic and it becomes the easiest and laziest solution, such that you keep adding to fuel prices, once you add, that tax will not go down any longer, and the price of the fuel will also not go down,” he added.

Source: Ghanatodayonline.com