Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has defended the newly introduced Dumsor Levy, responding to criticism from former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, June 7, Mr Kwakye Ofosu accused the previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) government of imposing over 30 different taxes during its eight-year tenure.
“I have heard Bawumia waxing lyrical about this tax. If his government had imposed just the E-levy, Ghanaians wouldn’t have risen against it. They imposed over 30 taxes on Ghanaians in the eight years that they governed,” he said.
Dr Bawumia, currently on a Thank You Tour in the Central Region, slammed the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government for what he called a betrayal of public trust.
He claimed that the NDC had scrapped the controversial E-Levy, only to introduce a new “Dumsor Levy,” suggesting this amounted to deceiving Ghanaians during the 2024 election campaign. He also warned of more taxes on the horizon under the NDC administration.
The Dumsor Levy, officially introduced through the Energy Sector Levy (Amendment) Bill, 2025, places a GH¢1 per litre surcharge on petroleum products. According to government sources, the revenue is intended to address the country’s US$3.1 billion energy sector debt and support the procurement of US$1.2 billion worth of fuel for thermal power generation.
However, the new tax has faced stiff opposition from the Minority in Parliament, who have branded it a “predatory tax.” They argue that the bill was passed hastily, with limited transparency and inadequate public consultation.
The debate around the Dumsor Levy has reignited discussions on Ghana’s energy crisis, taxation policies, and political accountability, making it a key issue in the early months of the NDC administration.
