Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid (left) and Mr Kwabena Okyere-Darko
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has assured Ghanaians of the government’s effort to reduce the effect of the rising prices of petroleum products at the pumps.
He said there would be heavy sacrifices on the part of the government, the Authority and everybody to move the country forward.
Dr. Abdul-Hamid intimated that the total amount of tax that goes to the central government on a liter of fuel is around GHC1.90, which may not be significant to the individual consumers, given the recent frequent rising cost of fuel on the international market.
On the flip side, he said, “this will be a huge revenue loss to government because that amount to a loss of GHC4 billion and over on government revenue side, yet everybody wants their road to be tarred.”
Dr. Abdul-Hamid said these when he paid a visit to the Western Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, as part of his familiarisation tour in the region.
Pricing
The Western Regional Minister, in his remark, said that all the taxes put in place by the government are very little.
“You should find a way to get your message directly to the people for them to know that in the budget is only 60, but currently the price is 120. If we decide to go and borrow money or cushion Ghanaians, no matter what, we are going to pay,” Mr Okyere-Darko said.
“Let Ghanaians know how prices are changing and how it is affecting the real price that we need to pay; if you cannot buy the petrol, definitely, there should be alternative to use as it is done in other countries,” he charged the NPA boss.
“We at a Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), we do acknowledge the problem that you have been encountering, such as illegal bunkering on petroleum product; you need to come and visit these communities and then engage them rather than arresting them, so that the other people will know that what they are doing is wrong,” the Minister further said.
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