The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has called on the government to provide details on which taxes, levies or fuel margins are being reduced to fund the GHC2 diesel relief, whether the estimated revenue loss has been factored into the 2026 Budget, and what expenditure cuts will be made to offset the cost.
The party also wants assurances that transport fares and prices of essential goods will reflect the diesel price reduction, clarification on whether the GHC1 per litre levy will remain in place during the intervention period, and the criteria that will determine whether the subsidy is extended, withdrawn or replaced.
Co-chair on the NPP’s Policy Committee on Energy, George Kwame Aboagye, who addressed the media on Wednesday, August 5 said the subsidy is no relief to consumers and does not take away burdens from households.
He questioned government’s intervention to absorb GHC2 from every litre of diesel for one month, saying it is an unfair compensation for Ghanaians who have been paying GHC1 levy on fuel products for over a year.
“Even if the full GHC2 reduction is passed through the pumps, diesel will still stand about 11.4% above its January 2025 level. So, let us be accurate about what this intervention is.
“It does not reverse it and it does not return households and businesses to where they stood 18 months ago,” he stated.
The NPP argued that the one-month intervention is not a relief but a temporary return of funds already collected from consumers through the GHC1 fuel levy introduced over a year ago.
Mr. Aboagye estimated that the measure would result in about GHC400 million in foregone revenue, insisting that the government must explain how it intends to finance the intervention.
“This one-month measure implies roughly GHC400 million in foregone revenue. There is no free relief, the only question is who pays and when.
“The GHC2 reduction is not generosity, it is a partial temporary return of money already taken from consumers at midnight while the levy that takes it continue to rise,” he added.
