Increases in "Road
Fund" to come soon
Wa, Sept 27,
Ghanadot/GNA – Dr. Richard Anane, Minister of Roads
and Transport has indicated that levy on fuel and
the other road user charges would be increased to
sustain the Road Fund.
He said, at present, the Fund could only cater for
60 per cent of the road maintenance needs of the
country.
The increase would therefore support the 40 per cent
challenge of maintenance financial resources towards
the maintenances of the country’s total road network
which stood at about 63,000 kilometres from 38,000
kilometres in 2001.
Dr Anane said this in speech read on his behalf by
Mr Godfred Bayong Tangu of the Ministry of Transport
at a regional forum of stakeholders in the road
sector in Wa.
The forum was to create a platform among
stakeholders to share ideas and sought suggestions
towards providing adequate and sustainable financial
resources for efficient and effective management of
the road network.
Dr Anane said the Fund Carried forward an
indebtedness of GH¢85 million from 2007 to 2008
compelling government to secured a loan to pay-off
contractors for works done up to December 2008.
He said between January and August this year, an
amount of about GH¢150,679 had been paid to
contractors.
He said it has been estimated that a one per cent
delay in maintenance, costs eight times more to
restore the road.
Dr Anane announced that the government was studying
some recommendation that the Ministry made to make
the Fund more responsive to the road maintenance
needs.
He mentioned the issuing of bonds on the Stock
Exchange and the Build Operate and Transfer systems
as some of the financial methods that government was
considering to provide the needed funds for road
maintenance.
He said Ghanaians continued to contribute six Ghana
Pesewas on every litre of fuel they purchased on the
other fuel station and also pay five Ghana Pesewas
road tolls for saloon vehicles.
The Sector Minister said that had made government
and its development partners to continue to bear the
high cost of re-gravelling, the resealing and
reconstruction of roads in other to preserve the
investment made in them.
Dr Anane said the time had come for the people to
take the difficult but inevitable decision of
increasing the levy on fuel and the other road user
charges which had remained low over the years.
He said even though the fuel levy accounted for 90
per cent of the total revenue, its impact was not
felt by the motoring public since the levy was an
indirect tax.
Dr Anane announced that the Fund had yielded GH¢108.7
million in 2006 and increased to GH¢115.8 million
for 2007.
It is projected that for 2008, the Fund would accrue
GH¢129 million to enable it meet the maintenance
budget of the road agencies to undertake their
maintenance programmes and activities.
Dr Anane said the Fund generated a total revenue of
GH¢577.6 million between 2000 and 2007.
He urged commercial drivers to always obtain
receipts for any fee and tolls they had paid for.
He appealed to drivers and contractors to be
conscious of the need to adhere to road safety
standards and to comply with the rules governing the
use of vehicles on the road.
“Our motor pillion riders must wear crash helmets
and drivers must also wear seat-belts, he advised.
Dr Anane said the recent spate of road crashes, most
of them resulting in fatalities and injuries should
not be tolerated, adding; “our drivers must have a
change of attitude since this is the surest way to
minimise road accidents.
GNA
