Industry players Call Emissions Levy Imprudent

Some stakeholders have posited that the implementation of the Emissions Levy in Ghana serves injustice on the citizens especially as it is being imposed across the board on all vehicle owners.

According to them, the move is being copied blindly and in the long run, burdening persons who have next to no hand in the climate change the world is enduring.

Daryl Bosu, the Deputy National Director at A Rocha Ghana holds that as a result of Africa’s little role in carbon emission, the international community has been measured in actions, adaptations, mitigation and financial mechanisms over climate change.

He noted that this is the reason the global community has not introduced a global tax system.

“It is very interesting to see that we being in Africa and Ghana in particular who are least responsible for emission, we go out there seeking climate justice and come here and impose the tax on Ghanaians just because they use vehicles.

“That is where we believe that we asking for justice at the global level but back home, we are not ensuring justice and fairness in the allocation of responsibilities in dealing with emissions. We are being dealt with unfairly by our government in an unjust way by imposing this tax,” he said on Eyewitness News monitored by opemsuo.com.

Meanwhile, a UK-based Ghanaian climate student, Prince Bansah, in a write-up on the new tax suggested mining and petroleum industries in the country rather pay that tax since they are high emitters.

“Ghana’s green Emission (GAE) contribution is relatively a drop in the ocean. In certain parts of the UK, there are pollution taxes imposed on certain vehicle owners which they pay at the pump. We also have vehicle taxes which seek to ensure that vehicles that exceed certain requirements pay for their emissions.

“Essentially climate change-oriented taxes are imposed only on vehicles of a certain age. In other words, the older the car, the more susceptible it is to GAE in a certain proportion. If the government of Ghana want to comply with the COP agreement, they must start with the big extractive industries, not individual car owners particularly if the government is unable to quantify their footprint i.e. the contributions to the emission.”

In the bid to restrict the importation of aged vehicles into the country, Bansah suggested the government should enact regulations to that effect.

The government rolled out the Emission Levy in line with its efforts aimed at tackling greenhouse gas emissions to promote the use of eco-friendly technology and green energy.

The levy, which requires motorcycle and tricycle owners to pay GH₵75 per annum, and motor vehicles, buses, and coaches up to 3000 cubic centimetres to pay GH₵150 annually, took effect on February 1, 2024.