<<Print>>

The National Youth Organizer of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Sammi Awuku has said the decision to discontinue the mandatory tow levy was because Ghanaians did not like it.

Speaking to Citi News in Takoradi on the sidelines of an NPP youth programme, Mr Awuku noted that “the Ghanaian people spoke strongly against it [the tow levy] and president Akufo-Addo and his government has also taken a firm position that they are not implementing it…once the Ghanaian people don’t like it, I don’t see why we should impose it on them.”

Government announced that it will no longer implement towing levy which was scheduled to commence on July 1, 2017. 

A statement signed by the Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah explained that government took the decision after “extensive consultations between the Minister of Transport and stakeholders in the transport sector.”

Mr. Awuku said the law was propounded in 2012 and was to take effect in July 2017 but the NPP government is treading cautiously in order not to incur any unwarranted judgment debt for the country. “We inherited a challenge from the previous government and then we also had to find way of making sure that we don’t incur debt on the other side but also listening to the very people who gave us the mandate,” he added.

Background

The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) was expected to begin a nationwide towing programme in July 2017, to ensure that all vehicles that breakdown on highways are cleared off the roads.

For this reason, drivers were required to pay a road safety fee ranging between GHC 10 and GHC 200 in addition to their road worthy certification fees.

Commercial vehicles and taxes were to pay GH¢40, mini buses were to pay GH¢80, while heavy duty trucks were to pay between GH¢80 and GH¢200 annually, depending on their tonnage.

Non-commercial vehicles were expected to pay GH¢20.

The Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSL), the company which was contracted to tow the broken down vehicles has already acquired some 118 trucks ahead of the implementation, for the exercise.

But several persons kicked against the policy and called on government to scrap claiming it was a total rip-off.