Reduce cost of utility, fuel and data - Mahama to govt

Former President John Dramani Mahama, has called on government to reduce utility tariffs as a measure to cushion the Ghanaian public in the period of the outbreak of the coronavirus, MyNewsGh.com reports.

The former President believes this move would significantly ease the burden on Ghanaians who are now challenged in their line of earnings with many working from home.

Former President Mahama in a post on his Facebook wall on Friday April 3, 2020 said, “The well-intentioned lockdown has obviously led to some unintended consequences and I believe it is time to utilize the Stabilization Fund to build some additional buffers for the economy. The use of the fund should be directed at cushioning the general population through this period of economic slowdown. These measures may include short term temporary tariff relief in respect of utilities.”

While acknowledging the recent drop in the prices of fuel, he further admonished government to add relief in the form of a temporary waiver of some petroleum taxes to further reduce fuel prices saying it “will be helpful to the motoring public, especially commercial drivers.”

In making a case for Ghanaians in relation to the cost of data, the NDC flagbearer called on government through the National Communications Authority to grant a “temporary relief from the Communication Service Tax (CST) in order to grant some relief to data users. Possible discussions between the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the telecommunications companies could yield positive results in providing some relief to their customers during this difficult period.”