Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has announced government’s decision to abolish road tolls.
He said inasmuch as money is needed for the fixing of deplorable roads in the country, the establishment of toll booths has led to congestions at various toll points.
Ofori-Atta further said that the congestion has affected productivity negatively.
It would be recalled that some Ghanaians including politicians have over the years called on government to rethink its decision on tolls.
They explained that the toll booths cause traffic congestion and also pose health risks to commuters.
Addressing this challenge in parliament during the 2022 budget reading, Ken Ofori-Atta said, “Mr. Speaker, our roads need fixing. Our roads are being fixed. It is true that more roads have been fixed and are being fixed over the last five years than any relative period in the entire history of our nation. We even want to do a lot more and this budget will cater for this.
“That is why for decades, Government after Government imposed and maintained tolls on some public roads to raise funds for road construction and maintenance. This is the situation in many countries. However, 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,” he said.
“The congestion generated at the tolling points, besides creating these inconveniences, also leads to pollution in and around those vicinities. To address these challenges, Government has abolished all tolls on public roads and bridges. This takes effect immediately the budget is approved (after appropriation or now?). The toll collection personnel will be reassigned. The expected impact on productivity and reduced environmental pollution will more than off-set the revenue forgone by removing the tolls,” he declared.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com