Roads Minister Was Wrong In Stopping Toll Payments – Atta Akyea

Abuakwa South Member of Parliament, Samuel Atta-Akyea has said that the Minister of Roads and Highways , Kwasi Amoako Atta committed an administrative error in issuing the order for road toll payments to stop when the 2022 budget statement had not been approved by Parliament.

Mr Amoako-Atta incurred the wrath of Parliament for issuing an order to stop road toll payments in the country.

Some lawmakers, mainly from the opposition side, said he exercised ultra vires in issuing that order.

Mr Kwasi Amoako-Atta who is also Member of Parliament for Atiwa West, on Wednesday November 17 directed the cessation of collection of tolls on public roads and bridges effective Thursday, November 18 after the Finance Minister Ken Ofori Atta had announced in the 2022 budget statement the cancellation of the tolls.

A press release issued a few hours after the announcement by the Minister of Finance, said the directive will take effect from 12:00am Thursday.

“Motorists are kindly advised to approach the locations with caution and observe all safety measures that will be put in place,” the press release said.

But during deliberations on the floor of the House on Thursday, Minority leader Haruna Iddrisu questioned the powers that the Minister relied on to issue this directive when the budget had not been approved by Parliament.

Supporting Mr Iddrisu’s submission was the lawmaker for Adaklu, Kwame Agbodza.

Mr Agbodza said “It is quite clear that the Minister sidestepped parliament by pretending that he as a minister, not even the finance minister,  has the right to  waive taxes in this country. My senior colleague the road minister is a lawyer  and a very experienced one. I submit that  this action is not a mere action.

“To make it quite serious, on Tuesday Mr Speaker, your committee on Roads and Transport met  and invited the minister of roads  and transport  to work on a referral which is to build the road between Manfe and  Koforidua. At that meeting I asked  the Ministry  representative where the minister was . The response they gave me was  the Minister was on an official trip  with the president

“The Minister should have known that he has no such powers.

“In any case he was not in the jurisdiction. So Mr Speaker, we want you to direct that the Minister has  no such powers  to waive the payment  of charges  in this country expect Parliament. Mr Speaker direct that the Minister rescind his decision, if he so wishes he should present that to parliament.”