The Minister of Finance, Kenneth Nana Yaw Ofori-Atta, has written to his counterpart at the Ministry of Roads and Highways to confirm the approved fees and charges as tolls on roads and bridges are to be reintroduced this year.
The road tolls were cancelled in 2022 after Mr Ofori-Atta read that year’s budget in Parliament, introducing the Electronic Transaction Levy to rake up more revenue from a larger section of the public.
However, after revenue shortfalls from the e-Levy, the Minister announced a reintroduction of the tolls in the 2023 budget read on Thursday, November 24, 2022.
“The fiscal policy measures to underpin the 2023 Budget for consideration and approval by Parliament include the reintroduction of tolls on selected public roads and highways with a renewed focus on leveraging technology in the collection to address the inefficiencies characterized by the previous toll collection regime,” the Finance Minister stated in Parliament.
Consequently, in his letter dated Friday, March 10, Mr Ofori-Atta has given his Ministry’s inputs regarding the proposals on the fees and charges tabled for approval by the Roads Ministry.
Per what has been sighted by 3news.com, there is a composite average increase rate of 88.05 percent across board.
Heavy buses, for instance, would pay GH¢1.5 – as approved by the Finance Ministry – instead of the proposed GH¢2 by the Roads Ministry.
Cars will pay GHp50 instead of the proposed GH¢1.