Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin is urging the government to scrap the controversial Energy Sector Levies (Amendment) Act, 2025, widely known as the “Dumsor Levy”, instead of merely postponing it.
The Effutu MP insists that delaying the implementation is a poor attempt to save face and does little to address public concerns. “This postponement is not a solution. It is a shameful retreat that exposes this government’s incompetence and hypocrisy,” he stated in a strongly worded release on Saturday.
The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) had announced an indefinite suspension of the levy, which was initially scheduled to begin on June 16. The decision followed public outcry and stakeholder engagement.
However, Afenyo-Markin says the delay only proves that the policy was ill-conceived and poorly executed. “It shows they didn’t consult properly. They rushed the law, and now they’re forced to backtrack. That’s trial-and-error governance,” he said.
He criticised the government for contradicting its own past rhetoric. “This is the same administration that berated us for pointing to global shocks like COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war. Now they are using the Middle East crisis as an excuse? That is the height of political dishonesty.”
The Minority Leader also accused the government of betraying the people. “President Mahama promised to bring relief, not more taxes. Yet here we are, with a government that wants to tax fuel during an economic crisis. It’s unacceptable.”
According to the government, the levy was introduced to raise funds for stabilising the energy sector and settling legacy debts. But Afenyo-Markin dismissed that explanation as baseless.
“Akufo-Addo ran a stable power sector without burdening Ghanaians with more taxes. Why can’t this government do the same?” he argued.
He also described the delay as a distraction tactic. “Don’t use the delay to buy time or blame the power crisis on our call to repeal the law. The worsening dumsor is your doing, not because the tax is suspended.”
Afenyo-Markin identified internal inefficiencies at the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) as a core issue. “There are expired meters still in use. People are consuming power without paying because of defective systems. It’s not tax money we need, it’s reforms.”
He blamed the Ministry of Energy for halting the Loss Reduction Programme introduced under the previous administration. “You have companies ready to supply meters, but the programme is frozen. Meanwhile, communities are crying for meters. Where is the leadership?”
The Minority Leader called on Parliament to urgently return and repeal the Act in full. “We demand a certificate of urgency to reverse this cruel policy completely. Any half measure will not be accepted, not by us, not by the people.”
He concluded with a rallying call: “Join us in resisting this wicked levy. We cannot allow this government to break its promises and worsen our pain.”
