Veep hints at utility tariffs increment
The Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, has given the clearest indication yet that users are likely to pay more for utilities.
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He has, therefore, called on them to bear with the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) as the utility companies demand the payment of realistic tariffs.
“If we continue to maintain the prices we pay over the past years, we will be unable to make any meaningful headway in our social investment drive,” he said.
The Vice-President made the call when he held a meeting with members of the Governing Council of the Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF) at the Independence Square in Accra yesterday.
The meeting was at the instance of the PEF to discuss critical issues of the economy with the Vice-President.
Mr Amissah-Arthur said the payment of such realistic prices would facilitate the constant provision of reliable utilities for domestic use and industrial needs.
Additionally, he said, it would make the sector attractive to private investment, saying that generation of utilities was capital intensive, which the government alone could not bear.
He said the demand for utility, particularly power, had increased over the years without a corresponding payment of realistic prices and stressed that the country could not continue to move in that direction.
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On claims that the economy was on its knees, the Vice-President said the economy was not broke and called on Ghanaians to focus on the prospects in the economy, instead of dwelling on the challenges.
He conceded that the economy was facing some challenges, but said “these difficulties are being tackled head-on” and said there “is light at the end of the tunnel”.
“Our focus here should not be on the short-term challenges confronting us, but how we can collectively improve these difficulties for the benefit of the majority of our people,” he said.
Mr Amissah-Arthur said the low price of gold and cocoa and the relative high price of crude oil on the world market were some of the challenges confronting the country.
The President of PEF, Mr Asare Akuffo, commended the initiative by the Vice-President to hold frequent interactions with the Foundation, saying that such interactions would work for the benefit of the country.
He, however, said the business confidence in the country was not at an acceptable level, and urged the government to put in measures to address the situation.
“Private sector will deliver whatever it takes to deliver. As partners, we shall sit together and suggest ways of improving business performance,” Mr Akuffo promised.
The Chief Executive Officer of the PEF, Nana Osei Bonsu, who complained about excessive taxation, underscored the need for consultations with authorities before the imposition of taxes.
He said high taxes and frequent power outages did not allow members to compete favourably with their foreign counterparts.
By Timothy Gobah