Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, has directed the Roads and Highways Minister, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, to reverse his decision to suspend the collection of road tolls.
According to the Speaker, the Minister acted wrongly by issuing that command.
The Speaker said the Budget Statement and Government’s Economic Policy are policy proposals that the Minister of Finance has presented to the House and until they are approved nobody has the authority to start implementing something that doesn’t exist.
He has, therefore, called on him to honourably withdraw that directive and warned that failure to do so will be a serious breach of the directive of the Speaker and that would amount to Contempt of Parliament since the House is yet to debate the Government's decision to scrap the tolls throughout the country which are good source of revenue into the state kitty.
“I think that it is proper for us to direct the Minister, a Member of this House, in fact a Senior Member of this House, I think that he might have acted wrongly and therefore I call on him to reverse this decision,” the Speaker ruled.
Meanwhile, the Road Ministry, an agency of the Executive under President Nana Akufo-Addo, is standing its ground.
“The Ministry wishes to assure that the action was taken to suspend the operationalisation of the collection of the tolls and not to suspend the law,” the Ministry said a statement.
In the statement issued on Thursday, November 18, 2021, the Roads and Highways Ministry also justified the decision not to charge tolls by citing alleged altercation between drivers and toll collectors shortly after the Finance Minister announced plans to scrap road tolls.
READ ALSO: Road toll collection has been suspended, not the law – Roads Ministry fights back
Ken Ofori-Atta during the Budget Statement presentation indicated that Ghana’s roads need fixing and are being fixed but considering the plight of Ghanaians, he said Government has abolished all tolls on public roads and bridges which takes effect immediately the Budget is approved.
The Roads and Highways Minister shockingly rushed to direct the immediate discontinuation of toll collection on all public roads and bridges across the country few hours after the Finance Minister presented the 2022 Budget Statement and Economic Policy to be pursued next year by the Government.
The Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu during the day’s deliberations questioned the powers that the Minister relied on to issue such a directive that toll collection at the various toll booths and bridges across the country must be halted effective Thursday, November 18, 2021.when the Budget had not been approved by Parliament.
The Member of Parliament for Adaklu, Governs Kwame Agbodza in support of the Minority Leader said it was quite clear that the Minister clearly sidestepped Parliament by pretending that he as a Minister, not even the Finance Minister, has the right to waive taxes in this country.
The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Samuel Atta Akyea , on his par,t defended the Minister saying he did not disrespect Parliament and the laws by issuing that order when the budget had not been approved but rather an the directive is an administrative error which should not be.
Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga East, Dr Dominic Ayine, has said the Roads Minister contravened an Act of Parliament by going ahead of the House to stop road tolls before the Appropriation Bill is passed.
An attempt by the Majority Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu to challenge the Speaker’s directive was unsuccessful because the Speaker advanced superior legislative arguments to buttress his decision.