Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah says road tolls will likely be scrapped in the yet-to-be read 2022 Budget.
Speaking to Joy Business' George Wiafe on Wednesday, he said, "we are going to see a measure that moves away from the current approach to a more efficient one...that is equitable for everybody across the country to get the opportunity to participate."
According to him, just about 30% of vehicles in the country pay road tolls.
Therefore, the Minister said the money generated from their contribution is not enough to cater to the fixing of roads across the country, hence, the need to "come to an era where everyone pays something."
Although he was tight-lipped about the exact plans of government in this regard, he assured that the mechanism will be one that "protects the poor and the vulnerable."
Quizzed whether the levy will be shifted to the cost of petrol, he argued that analysis made by government showed that such an action would have far-reaching consequences on the standard of living of Ghanaians.
"Our analysis shows the consequence and the kind of hardship that it could bring on food prices, transport fares, and general inflation.
"So you may have to move from there and move to some other measure that allows a lot more people to participate in it and at the same time protect the poor and the vulnerable," he said.
There have been concerns about government's failure to live up to expectations after declaring 2020 and 2021 as years of roads.
There have been a series of protests in various parts of the country, with residents demanding road infrastructure.
The Roads Ministry has already indicated that it is exploring other means of raising funds to finance its road deficit.
The government has, in the past, shelved attempts to increase road tolls for this purpose over public outcry.
As the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, proceeds to Parliament to present the budget statement for the 2022 fiscal year, Ghanaians will be expecting to hear from government its plans to expand and improve the road infrastructure.
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