General News of Friday, 19 November 2021
Source: www.ghanaweb.live
2021-11-19Why goverment decided to abolish tolls - Ken Ofori-Atta explains
Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta
Ken Ofori-Atta has been explaining why tolls got scrapped
He said government generates 78 million per annum
He spoke on Good Evening Ghana
Ken Ofori-Atta, the Finance Minister, has been explaining the government’s decision to abolish tolls in the 2022 ‘agyenkwa’ budget.
According
Read full articleto him, the amount of revenue generated from road tolls across the country is about 78 million per annum.
Ken Ofori-Atta explained on Metro TV’s ‘Good Evening Ghana’ on Thursday, November 18 that, “The challenge really as you look at it, how much do we get [from the road toll]; I think about 78 million per annum.”
He noted, “there are some 38 road tolls on the public roads [sic] around the country; about 20 of them are private sector managed; and then you have issues of frustration, traffic, productivity, pollution and some degree of danger with the markets that have formed around them.
“So, you make a determination that for this period, public roads should not have that but certainly in future, as you now build roads with the private sector, you should [restore it].”
Ofori-Atta continued: “as we stand today and the issues that I have enumerated, the question becomes, what is the opportunity cost for this so that when I wake up in the morning at 6.00 am drowsy in my trotro, I’m not going to be faced with another queue in a place that they create pollution…”
During the presentation of the budget on Wednesday, November 17, the Finance Minister said, “Government has abolished all tolls on public roads and bridges. This takes effect immediately the Budget is approved."
He added, “Over the years, the tolling points have become unhealthy market centres, led to heavy traffic on our roads, lengthened travel time from one place to another, and impacted negatively on productivity.
"The congestion generated at the tolling points, besides creating these inconveniences, also leads to pollution in and around those vicinities.”
The Finance Minister stressed that “a portion of the proceeds from the (newly introduced) E-Levy will be used to support entrepreneurship, youth employment, cyber security, digital and road infrastructure among others.”
