Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 2022, (Act 1080) schedules have been revised by the government affecting road tolls.
The changes are in keeping with the government’s plan to resume toll collection on some roads while efforts are taken to determine which highways and roads will be impacted by the tolls’ restoration.
To this end, the Ministry of Finance has commenced the procedures, necessary to determine the toll foundation rates while the Ministry of Roads and Highways considers them.
The Finance Ministry in a statement said, “we are by this letter sending the recommended rates for input by the Ministry of Roads and Highways to enable this Ministry to finalize the schedule of fees under the upcoming Legislative Instrument”.
The government will resume collecting vehicle tolls on a few national highways this year.
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One of the revenue-generating strategies in the 2023 budget the Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta presented to Parliament last November was the reinstatement of road tolls.
As part of the policy changes outlined by the government in the 2022 Budget, payment of tolls on public highways was discontinued in November 2021, which resulted in the displacement of numerous road toll collectors.
Ken Ofori-Atta, the finance minister, acknowledged that the government’s ability to generate money had been hampered by the suspension of road toll collecting.
He asserts that the administration is having trouble with the major issue caused by the rushed decision made in anticipation of the approval of the E-levy.
The Minority in parliament had been advocating for the reintroduction of road tolls arguing that the cessation was not financially sustainable, especially since the government is struggling to raise revenue.
Source: Citinews
