The Minority in Parliament is raising concerns about the government’s implementation of a $7 charge on airline tickets, signaling the need for attention and action.
The Minority describes the charge as illegal as it is only Parliament that can impose fees and charges.
Sources indicate that the Ghana Health Service (GHS) is impressing on airlines to add $7 per passenger on each international airline ticket sold and remit the same to government agency as a luggage fumigation charge.
AviationGhana sources revealed that the decision of the GHS was conveyed by the Ghana Airports Company Limited to airlines servicing Accra’s Kotoka International Airport at a meeting held on Thursday, June 22, in Accra.
Speaking to JoyNews, Minority Chief Whip and Ranking Member on the Roads and Transport Committee Governs Kwame Agbodza urged airlines to disregard the directive from government to charge that amount.
“The stakeholders have been unhappy about it, the airlines feel this will make their work even more difficult knowing that after COVID, many airlines and related businesses are still struggling to recover.
“You’d realize that airline tickets are still considerably high. To charge this amount for fumigation of bags is an absurdity. We are not going to accept this.
“No agency of government has the right to impose additional charges without the knowledge of Parliament and I encourage airlines to disregard this for now until we all come to the conclusion that this is relevant,” he said.
Governs Kwame Agbodza also explained that Parliament had been completely sidelined in the imposition of the charge insisting the relevant committee in Parliament, the Roads and Transport Committee was not privy to the charge.
The Minority Chief Whip also claimed this an avenue by some government officials to steal from the ordinary Ghanaian even in these challenging economic times.
“I’ve never seen anything like fumigation of bag charge before, in any case, what is the meaning of fumigation of bags that you’re going to charge passengers US$7?
“What kind of chemicals are you going to use? What kind of contamination are we talking about? This is a very unnecessary attempt to basically take close to $15 million from passengers.
“This is not the time, the airlines are struggling, people are squeezed, we should not be making life difficult for the airlines and the passengers”, he stressed.
The Minority say they will in the coming days push for the full details to be brought to Parliament and do everything necessary to prevent the imposition of what they are calling an illegal charge.