The Minister for Roads and Highways, Kwesi Amoako-Atta has disclosed that payment of road toll will be done via electronic means when the levy is reintroduced in 2023.
According to Mr. Amoako-Atta; “We are going to build modern expressways which will come with tolling facilities but those tolling facilities will be electronic tolling facility…if it has to come, it will be done electronically.”
He urged road users to be prepared to pay more money for the toll to enable the government to construct enough good roads.
“The whole year, we were getting an average of GH₵78 million depending upon the ground condition, that amount of money cannot even build 10km of road. We were paying the lowest toll in the whole world. Meanwhile, we want excellent and good roads in our country.
“We want good things, we must be prepared to pay for more. We will no longer be paying the 50 pesewas and ₵1.”
The collection of tolls on Ghanaian roads was abolished in the 2022 budget that was tabled before parliament on 17 November 2021.
The Minister of Finance then cited the dangers the toll booths posed to Ghanaians as the reason the government abolished toll collections on roads even though they were avenues to raise funds for the maintenance of the streets.
A year after, the government made a u-turn to reintroduce the collection of the toll.
Presenting the 2023 budget in Parliament, Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta said; “The fiscal policy measures to underpin the 2023 Budget for consideration and approval by Parliament include the reintroduction of tolls on selected public roads and highways with a renewed focus on leveraging technology in the collection to address the inefficiencies characterized by the previous toll collection regime.”
Meanwhile, the Minority in Parliament has applauded the reintroduction of road tolls in 2023.
The Caucus, however, called for the toll to be used solely for road maintenance and threatened to withdraw their support if the revenue was not used for the intended purpose.