The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) has denied claims that transportation fares will go up from Monday, October 25, 2021.
The Union’s leadership explained that it is currently talking with the government to scrap some taxes and levies placed on petroleum products.
The Union’s General Secretary, Godfred Abulbira Adogma speaking an Accra based radio station which was monitored by Plan-B FM, noted that the union will increase transportation fares if the government fails to heed their plead.
“We have not said anywhere that lorry fares will be increased on Monday. We have tabled out certain things with the Ministry, but when the discussions fail, we will have no option than to adjust our fares to cushion us from the new prices of fuel,” Mr. Adogma remarked during the interview with the radio station.
According to him, the issue of a specific date of Monday is something that has surprised them all and added that Government should really look at the fuel taxes and remove them because it is not helping matters at all.
A lot of Ghanaians have taken to social media platforms to express their desires to see a reduction in transport fares following the removal of the Price Stabilization and Recovery Levies (PRSL) on petrol, diesel, and LPG for two months as approved by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA).
The GPRTU in response has however advised that the public to be measured in their expectations for a reduction in transport fares. It accused the government of acting in bad faith despite contractual assurances of stabilizing the prices of fuel that will lead to maintaining transport fares at least in the short term since they were last increased in June 2021.
The Union continued that it is taking steps to meet with the government over the series of levies imposed on fuel products and added that fuel prices have in the past few months witnessed upward and downward adjustments, with the recent being an increase of 2.59%, a situation the Union say industry players have criticized.
Meanwhile the much-anticipated suspension of the levy in the price build-up of fuel at the pumps is yet to take effect even as the second pricing window commences because Parliament is yet to give the NPA the approval needed to scrap the levy.
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