The return of road tolls in 2023 has been welcomed by the minority in parliament.
The 2023 budget that was presented to Parliament last week includes the reinstatement of the levy.
After announcing it would stop collecting road tolls in the 2022 budget, the government stopped collecting them in November 2021.
“Government has abolished all tolls on public roads and bridges. This takes effect immediately after the Budget is approved,” Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta said while reading the 2022 budget in Parliament.
However, Mr. Ofori-Atta declared that the government would reinstate tolls on a few roads as part of its 2023 budgetary revenue plans.
While praising the development during a budget statement debate on Wednesday, Minority Spokesperson on Roads and Transport, Kwame Agbodza, claimed the government was being populist by eliminating the toll in the first place.
“We welcome the decision by the Roads Minister to bring back road tolls. We take no pride in saying we told you so. Mr. Speaker, it was populist, unnecessary and they were there shouting we are going to do it because we have e-levy… today they have brought a law here that they want to bring back road toll.”
They, however, demanded that the toll be used solely for road maintenance or they would withdraw their support.
“If you bring the road toll back, all the accruals must go into road maintenance. Otherwise, we are not going to support you, that is why we say de-cap the road fund,” Governs Kwame Agbodza said on the floor of Parliament.
When road toll collection was halted, the Minority in Parliament argued that the decision was a huge blow to the country because it would result in massive revenue loss for the Roads Ministry.
