Effective February 1, motor riders and tricycle riders will pay the government an amount of GHC75 annually as part of their responsibilities to the state.
This is in line with the implementation of the Emissions Levy Act, 2023 (Act 1112), where a levy will be imposed on carbon dioxide equivalent emissions specifically targeting internal combustion engine vehicles.
Also, motor vehicles, buses, and coaches up to 3000 cubic centimetres are required to pay GH₵150 per annum whereas motor vehicles, buses, and coaches above 3000 cubic centimetres, cargo trucks, and articulated trucks are required to pay GH₵300 per annum.
The primary goal of introducing the emissions levy is to encourage the adoption of environmentally friendly technology and green energy. This is expected to contribute significantly to improved environmental management, as well as the control of air and water pollution.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) is responsible for the collection of the levy.
The leadership of the Okada Riders Association is dissatisfied with the amount being taxed and is set to petition the Ministry of Transport next Monday to consider reducing the emissions levy.
Secretary of the Okada Riders Association, Majid Amidu, said, “It is too much. People are suffering. You did not give us jobs, you did not do anything for us and yet you want us to pay GH75. We will hold another meeting and write a petition to the government and the whole of Ghana that enough is enough.”
“If they do not reduce the levy, we will go out and demonstrate against this government. By Monday the petition will be ready and we will send it to the Minister,” he added.
Meanwhile, the flagbearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has expressed that the motorcycle transportation industry (Okada) has become an established and unassailable sector, impervious to any government’s efforts to eliminate it.
Speaking at the Agormanya Saint Martin’s Parish Hall during his Building Ghana tour in the Eastern Region, Mahama emphasized that the Okada business has entrenched itself and cannot be collapsed. He also criticized the current government for its failure to address economic challenges and provide sufficient employment opportunities for the youth.
Mr Mahama reiterated his unchanged stance on Okada riders, asserting that, if given another term, he would implement a comprehensive system involving the registration, licensing, and regulation of the riders.