Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, has fired back at Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s condemnation of the newly introduced GH¢1-per-litre fuel levy—dubbed by critics as the “Dumsor Levy”—saying the former Vice President and his administration have no moral authority to complain about taxes.
Reacting to Bawumia’s comments during an appearance on Newsfile on JoyNews, Kwakye Ofosu accused the NPP of leaving behind a legacy of excessive taxation and economic hardship during their time in office.
“I have heard Bawumia waxing lyrical about this tax. If his government had imposed just E-Levy, Ghanaians wouldn’t have risen against it. They imposed over 30 taxes on Ghanaians in the eight years that they governed,” he said.
Kwakye Ofosu’s rebuttal comes after Bawumia, now flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), tore into the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for allegedly betraying public trust.
Speaking at a recent community engagement, Bawumia accused the current government of hypocrisy, claiming the so-called “Dumsor Levy” is more punishing than the E-Levy the NDC vehemently opposed and scrapped.
“The NDC has told a lot of lies. Everyone sees their lies every day. Last night, I hope you all saw it. They have introduced a dumsor levy,” Bawumia declared, arguing that the fuel tax charges Ghanaians eight times more than the E-Levy.
He explained that while the now-scrapped E-Levy imposed a GH¢10 charge on every GH¢1,000 transferred electronically, the Dumsor Levy takes GH¢83 on every GH¢1,000 worth of fuel purchased.
Kwakye Ofosu, however, dismissed the comparison as misleading, stressing that Bawumia’s record in government speaks volumes.
“It’s convenient now to cry foul, but Ghanaians remember the avalanche of taxes they introduced—and not under crisis conditions, but while claiming to be managing a growing economy,” he added.
The fuel levy was passed under a certificate of urgency by Parliament on June 2, 2025. The government has defended the measure as necessary to address the ballooning energy sector debt, which has surpassed $3 billion.
