Member of Parliament for Suaman Constituency, Mr. Fredrick Addy, has openly criticized the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) over its introduction of a new one-cedi tax on petroleum products, popularly referred to as the “Dumsor Levy.”
The tax, according to government officials, is intended to fund efforts to address the country’s persistent power outages.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr. Addy argued that the NDC’s imposition of the levy contradicts its own campaign promises to eliminate burdensome taxes imposed by the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration.
“The NDC promised to abolish all the taxes the NPP introduced. And to their credit, when they came into power, they removed several of these levies — including the unpopular E-Levy.
But what do we see now? They’ve introduced a new tax that’s even more expensive than those they criticized,” he stated.
The Suaman MP expressed dismay that a party which once prided itself on alleviating the financial pressures of Ghanaians has now reversed course with the implementation of a levy that could have broader implications, particularly on rural and farming communities.
“Imagine fuel costing GHS50 — now you pay an extra GHS5 as a power crisis levy.
Compare that to the E-Levy, where sending GHS100 attracted just GHS1. Which one hurts the ordinary Ghanaian more?” he questioned.
Mr. Addy did not mince words in his rebuke of the current Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, accusing him of failing to uphold his vetting-day assurances that Ghana could achieve economic progress without relying on regressive taxes.
“During his vetting, Dr. Forson pledged that taxes like these would become a thing of the past.
Today, he has not only failed to fulfill that promise but has also introduced a levy that disproportionately affects the poor,” he lamented.
The MP warned that the newly introduced levy could impose serious economic hardship on his constituents — especially farmers who are dependent on fuel for irrigation, transportation, and other agricultural operations.
“This levy is draining the already-limited resources of my constituents. It is unjust and regressive.
I urge the NDC government to reconsider their approach and prioritize more sustainable, inclusive economic policies,” he concluded.
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