The Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has said the government has eased the impact of the constant hikes in fuel prices on Ghanaians by not introducing new levies on petroleum products in the 2022 Budget Statement.
Presenting the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy in Parliament on Wednesday (17 November), the Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta acknowledged that though fuel prices in the last few weeks have gone up at the various service stations across the country largely as a result of the upward volatility of world market indexes over the period, the government has no intention of increasing fuel prices.
Speaking to the media after the presentation, Nkrumah said the government did not introduce new levies on petroleum products because it is concerned about the plight of Ghanaians.
“Government didn’t go that way because the President was very worried about its impact on transport fares, food prices and inflation at a time that the time government wants to ease the burden on Ghanaians,” he said.
Nkrumah said the hardship Ghanaians have experienced as a result of the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic is not lost on the government and that it will not further burden Ghanaians with an increase in fuel prices.
Oil price on the international market is over US$80 a barrel, after starting the year at a little over the US$50 mark. With the reopening of economies across the globe due to the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines, demand for fuel has experienced a shape climb, in response to the increment of crude oil on the world market.
Meanwhile, the government has also scrapped the amount of money being paid by motorists as tolls on public roads in the country.
