Research and Policy Analyst with the Institute for Energy Security (IES), Mr Mikdad Mohammed has said the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Mr Hassan Tampuli must desist from deliberately misleading the Ghanaian public regarding the role and application of the Price stabilization and recovery levy in the fuel prices.

The IES Research and Policy Analyst was reacting to a news story that alleged that the NPA Boss, Mr Tampuli had said government was forfeiting, thereby losing about 300million Ghana cedis in taxes on fuel since June 2018 in order to be able to cushion the consumer, a claim the Energy Think tank IES says is misleading.

Mr Tampuli said taxes amounting to nearly 300million cedis of the price stabilization levy on petroleum has been forfeited by the government for the benefit of the people of Ghana.

But Mikdad Mohammed from IES writing on his Facebook wall says it is a ‘joke’ and a misleading analogy which must be exposed.

“I heard Tampuli say the same thing in a more misleading language on Citi FM.” Mr Mohammed wrote.

“But this, respectfully, is one of the jokes Tampuli has been trumpeting on radio and TV which must be exposed for what it is. The Price Stabilization and recovery levy is not government (sic) money. It is also not NPA’s money. It is a levy consumers of petrol-based fuel pay as part of the cost. It is meant for cushioning prices on a rainy pricing-window. The name Price Stabilization and Recovery LEVY is even self-explanatory. The difference between a levy and a tax is that a levy has a purpose- in this case, to cushion consumers.” he explained.

To provide more insight he added:

“See this: If a group of people save money (300m) with Mr B for the purpose of buying a car, when the time is due and they collect their money for the car, can Mr B stand anywhere and say he has lost 300m? Is the money for him in the first place?.” he quizzed.

“Respectfully, I’ll advise the NPA boss to leave out the deliberately misleading deductions and innuendos he puts out for deceitful purposes because I know he knows better.” he ended.