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Cessation of Road Tolls: Roads Minister Risks Going To Jail - Edudzi Tamakloe

Private legal practitioner and aide to former President John Dramani Mahama, Godwin Edudzi Tamakloe, has disclosed that Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako Atta, risks going to jail for causing financial loss to the state.

He says his sole decision to scrap the toll booth levy even before parliament discussed and accepted the 2022 budget estimates was illegal and unparliamentary.

Speaking on Okay FM's 'Ade Akye Abia' programme, he explained that some ministers are languishing in jail because of similar decisions taken or even less.

"What makes his more dangerous is when parliament has ordered him to rewrite another letter to withdraw the first letter ordering the closure of the toll booths pending final discussion of the 2022 budget and its approval."

"The irony of his sole decision is, he issued the letter when he was not even in the country so who did he consult before taking that unilateral decision without recourse to the act of parliament that established the road toll."

"There are laws that were established before the coming into effect of the road toll and so if you decide to go contrary to the law and cause the state to lose revenue, you are sure to be charged for causing financial loss to the state," he added.

E-Levy Proposed

Minister for Finance, Ken Ofori-Atta, during the 2022 budget statement and economic policy presentation announced the cessation of collection of road tolls in the country.
 
He said although the government needs such revenue to fix roads in the country, it has observed that toll booths are doing more harm than good, causing heavy vehicular traffic and impacting negatively on productivity.

“To address these challenges, the government has abolished all tolls on public roads and bridges. This takes effect immediately after the budget is approved,” the Finance Minister said.

Following the announcement, the Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta issued a directive for the collection of tolls on public roads to be immediately stopped, but Parliament on Thursday took issue with the directive.

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