Owners of diesel and petrol-powered cars may be obliged to pay a new yearly eco-tax of GH₵100 per vehicle.
The administration is bringing this new tax bill in Parliament with the goal of encouraging the use of environmentally friendly energy sources to power vehicles.
The effort is part of the government’s push to take more climate-friendly initiatives and offset its carbon footprint.
Companies would also be required to pay GH₵100 per tonne of carbon dioxide emissions if the measure is enacted.
This action follows the government’s decision in the 2024 budget to impose a zero-VAT rate on imported electric vehicles.
Mr. Ofori-Atta earlier declared the government’s intention to broaden the Environmental Excise Duty to include plastic packaging, industrial pollution, and emissions from vehicles.
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In response to the government’s eco-tax, Minority Leader Cassiel Ato Forson claimed that the tax, which would be placed on all commercial vehicles, private vehicles, ambulances, ‘okadas,’ ‘aboboyaas,’ and so on, will exacerbate the country’s already grave position.
He had previously labeled the tax exemption for electric vehicles “useless,” and instead urged the government to build an enabling environment for the use of electric vehicles rather than jumping the gun.