Senior Communicator of the Movement for Change, Ebo Buckman, has criticized the government’s decision to reintroduce road tolls, labeling it as a mere ploy to win votes for the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The government cancelled road tolls about three years ago to alleviate traffic congestion on major roads, opting instead to implement the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-levy). The E-levy imposed a one per cent levy, down from an initial 1.5 per cent, on all electronic and Mobile Money (MoMo) transactions exceeding a cumulative GHS100 per day.
However, Finance Minister Dr. Amin Adam announced in Parliament on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, that the government plans to reintroduce road tolls in 2025. This announcement has ignited considerable debate and discussion.
Speaking on the Angel Morning Show on July 25, 2024, Ebo Buckman argued that the government’s decision is a strategic move to appease traders who lost their jobs when the road tolls were initially cancelled.
“The point is that the decision is just to bait hawkers at the various tolls who lost their jobs when the road tolls were cancelled. They know those people are angry and likely to vote against them, so they are trying to trick them into believing they will get their jobs back when the tolls are reintroduced in 2025,” Buckman said.
He questioned the government’s sincerity, asking why they had decided to cancel the road tolls in the first place despite opposition from stakeholders.
“If you truly want to reinstate road tolls, were you deaf when Ghanaians were calling on you not to cancel them?” he asked.
