Mid-year Review Budget… ROAD TOLLS BACK, BUT E-LEVY REMAINS

In mi-2022, the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), with stars sparkling in its eyes, introduced the
Electronic Levy (e-levy) with the hope that it would be the panacea to the all of the nation’s economic problems.
So ecstatic was the government about the potential of the e-levy, that it hastily and unlawful cancelled the tolling of
roads in Ghana.
Less than three years later, the bubble has burst. The e-levy has failed to live up to the prospects dreamed by the
theoretical economists, and reality has caught on.
The government says it is now bringing back the road tolls it unlawfully scrapped.
Addressing parliament yesterday, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam, Finance Minister, affirmed the reintroduction of road
tolls by the government, effective, 2025, as a way of generating revenue for the maintenance of road networks in the
country.
The road toll was cancelled a couple of years ago ostensibly to ease traffic congestion on major roads. In actuality, it
was under the euphoria that the introduction of the Electronic Transfer Levy (E-levy) would make the road toll
superfluous. It was a dream that was not to live to see reality.
The E-levy required the payment of a one per cent levy from the initial 1.5 per cent levy on all electronic and Mobile
Money (MoMo) transactions, exceeding a cumulative GHS100 per day.
Presenting the 2024 mind-year budget review to Parliament on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, Dr Amin Adam said the
reintroduction is to “facilitate the processes for the implementation of a modernised and efficient road and bridge
tolling system”.
He stated that Cabinet had approved the establishment a framework for the reintroduction of road and bridge tolls.
Prior to its cancellation, Ghana generated about GHS39 million monthly and some GHS72.5 million annual yield,
which was used for financing periodic maintenance and rehabilitation of public roads.
Dr Amin Adam said the government was determined to improve road infrastructure in the country, and had over the
years, constructed new roads, and upgraded old ones.
He mentioned the Dadiesoba-Esiankyim-Manhyia, Antwi Agyeikrom-Debra Camp and others, Sunyani and
Berekum Inner City roads, Atebubu town roads, Assin Fosu-Dunkwa-Cocoa Station, and Kwahu Tafo-Miaso roads
as some of the completed projects.
The rehabilitation and maintenance projects include Juaboso-Boinzan on-going roads, Winneba-Kasoa, Karaga town
road, Gushegu Town and Tolon Daboya Road, Nanton-Karaga-Gushegu highway, Sefwi Wiawso town roads, and
Accra-Kumasi road.
He said the following projects were at various stages of completion; rehabilitation of the Tamale-Tatale road, phase
two of the Tema Motorway Roundabout, construction of the flyover over the Accra-Tema motorway from the
flowerpot roundabout on the Spintex Road to East Legon.
Others are the construction of the phase two works under the Suame Interchange, dualisation of Nsawam-Ofankor
Road, works on the Agona Nkwanta-Tarkwa road, works on the Dome-Kitase road, and phase two of Obetsebi
Lamptey Interchange and ancillary works.
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, the Vice President, said, “let’s go back to a system of broad-based road tolls. The tolling
system must come back, and I think it will come back.”
Engaging the Clergy in the Volta region in May 2024, the Vice Pressident said the involvement of the private sector
should be considered in augmenting revenue from road tolls in providing the needed infrastructure for development.
Meanwhile, Sector Minister, Mr Francis Asenso-Boakey, in March 2024, indicated that the government had
commenced talks with stakeholders to make the reintroduction effective, adding that it would be digitised and
automated.
“Many countries use the revenue they generate from tolls to finance their road maintenance, but in our case, we’ve
suspended it… we’ve started the process of engaging stakeholders to bring back the toll collection,” he said.