We suspended road tolls collection because some motorists engaged in fisticuffs with collectors – Ministry of Roads
The Roads and Highways Ministry has explained the reason behind the Ministry’s directive to stop collecting tolls on public roads stating that it did not set aside the law concerning toll collection.
In a statement, the Ministry revealed that some road users upon hearing from Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta during the 2022 budget presentation that the government had abolished road tolls, insisted on not paying the road tolls to the point of wanting to engage in a scuffle with the toll collectors.
“Unfortunately, the Minister of Finance’s statement either got misunderstood or misinterpreted by some motorists, as many of them deemed the statement as having immediate effect and therefore decided not to pay the road and bridge tolls. The insistence of the toll collected [sic] to have the tolls paid caused serious confusion and in some cases, resulted in fisticuffs and damage to lives and property,” the statement said.
It was therefore in a bid to “avert further unfortunate incidents” that the sector Minister, Kwesi Amoako Atta directed that tolls collection be suspended.
“The Ministry wish to assure that the action taken was to suspend the operationalization of the collection of the tolls and not to suspend the law,” the statement clarified.
Parliament debated on the directive on Thursday and the Speaker, Alban Bagbin stated that it was illegal. The Ministry was however not specific on whether Parliament could weigh in and direct it to resume toll collections.
Alban Bagbin said the road tolls are the government’s source of revenue approved by Parliament that is clothed with the powers to approve budgets. So until what was presented by the Finance Minister was approved and it takes effect on January 1, 2022, there is no legal basis for the Highways Ministry to suspend the tolls collection. He added that Kwesi Amoako Atta, the Minister could be charged with contempt of Parliament if the directive is not reversed.
“It is a proposal they [government] are presenting to us for us to approve, and it takes effect on January 1, 2022, to December 31, 2022… Until this budget is approved, all what is contained in the budget are proposals. We have the authority to approve it… Until that has been approved, nobody has the authority to start implementing something that does not exist,” he said.
However Majority Chief Whip in Parliament, Frank Annoh-Dompreh, also begs to differ also pointing out that, the Speaker’s directive to the Roads and Highways Minister to reverse the suspension of tolls collection is an error. His reason is that the Speaker is not a Member of Parliament and that what he[Bagbin] said was not the official position of Parliament.
“Based on standards and the standing orders of the House, the Speaker cannot rule on his own authority and say that he is directing. The Speaker is not above the House, he is not a Member of Parliament, so the Speaker’s ruling is to convey the position of the house. So to start, we think that the Speaker erred in his ruling and he should consider it again,” he told the media.
By: Stella Annan | myactiveonline.com Twitter @activetvgh
