In its 2024 budget statement and economic policy, the government has been urged by the Concerned Drivers Association of Ghana to reinstate the collection of road tolls throughout the nation.
Additionally, the association requests that the government give funding for road repairs a higher priority.
The association’s public relations officer, David Agboado, stated that the government must address issues with road infrastructure.
He claimed that the workers, the majority of whom were disabled, would benefit from the reinstatement of road tolls.
He suggested a careful reevaluation of the reinstatement of road tolls, with the idea that the money raised could be set aside for urgently needed road repairs.
“Our roads are very deplorable, and the government should fix them and bring back the toll service so that our physically challenged brothers and sisters will also get work to do and get proceeds to fix the roads,” he told Citi News.
Bring back road tolls in 2024 budget – Concerned Drivers Association#UTVNews pic.twitter.com/N4IaJ67LbJ
— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) November 14, 2023
To support domestic revenue, the government says it is reintroducing road and bridge tolls early in the year.
In addition, the tolls will be adjusted upward by an average of 88.5 percent upon reintroduction, with outliers of 400 percent representing the highest percentage increase and 33.33 percent representing the lowest increment.
The new rates to be included in a new Legislative Instrument (LI) amending the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2022 (Act 1080) have already been proposed by the Ministry of Finance.
The proposed new rates, which state that cars paying 50 Gp must pay GH¢1 under the amended LI and that pick-ups, light duty trucks, and mammy waggons must now pay GH¢1.50, up from the previous GH¢1, are directed to Kwasi Amoako-Atta, Minister of Roads and Highways, in a memo dated March 10.
The toll collection on major highways and bridges has been abolished. Heavy buses and light goods trucks will now pay GH¢2 instead of GH¢1.50, and medium goods trucks (three axles) and heavy duty goods trucks (four axles) will now pay GH¢3, down from GH¢2 previously.
