Minister of State-designate at the Finance Ministry, Abena Osei Asare has shot down the Minister of Roads and Highways Francis Asenso-Boakye call for reintroduction of road tolls.
During an assessment tour on the Accra-Kumasi Highway, Hon. Francis Asenso-Boakye who is the Member of Parliament for Bantama constituency in the Ashanti Region indicated that it has become necessary for the reintroduction of the road tolls to raise enough money to embark on road maintenance in the country.
But answering a question during a Parliamentary vetting Committee sitting, the Member of Parliament for Atiwa East, Hon. Abena Osei Asare stated that the suspension of the road tolls was a political decision.
According to her, the government does not have any plans to reintroduce the road tolls.
She said, the vision of the government in 2024 is what the budget captured and that the suspension of the road tolls will remain as such.
“Suspension of the road tolls was a political decision, it was a decision taken by the government and I can not take myself out of it because I am part of the government and I need to take responsibility as such. Mr. Chairman, the document that spells out the vision for the government in 2024 is the budget and so we are working in the budget and in the budget for 2024, I don’t think we introduce any line item for road tolls and so it remains as such” She said.
The Minister designate also revealed that plans are far advanced for the government to pay asset management depositors of the defaunt banks.
“And so until we are able to resolve the court issue, the government can not proceed to pay. I remember in 2020 on humanitarian grounds when the Covid had a very devastating effect on everybody, the government on humanitarian ground decided to pay GHC50, ooo million to all the asset Management depositors and so the government went ahead and did that. In 2020 I think the government will pay GHC760 million and then in 2021 GHC56o million. We still have quite a chance to pay so even if you look into the 2024 budget, the government has allocated GHC4 billion to be used partly to be paid for these asset Management companies money as well as a few INB and few other things in there” She indicated.
Source: Elvisanokyenews.com
