The committee tasked to review utility tariffs has come out with a reduction for the various categories of electricity consumers. The committee has announced a one per cent reduction in tariffs for residential consumers. Tariff consumers in the industrial sector will however enjoy between 27 per cent and 7.5 per cent reduction in tariffs. For non-residential consumers, the tariffs have been reduced by 7.5 per cent, special low tariff medium consumers by 19.6 per cent and special high tariff consumers have their tariffs reduced by 27.2 per cent. Explaining the reduction to Joy News' Israel Laryea, the Chief Executive of the Volta River Authority, Mr Kweku Awotwi, said the reduction for residential consumers was meagre because consumers in that category already enjoy other cushioning effects of government intervention. This category of consumers, he said, also enjoy the life-line policy which grants consumers the benefit of paying less if they use between 1 - 50 units of electricity a month. According to him, emphasis was placed on the industrial category during the discussions leading to the reduction because of the need for industries to create jobs and the realisation that the tariff increases could adversely affect the job creation efforts of industries. Following the increases in utility tariffs a couple of months ago, the Association of Ghana Industries, Ghana Trades Union Congress and other labour groups agitated for a reduction in the tariffs, arguing businesses could be crippled if the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission failed to reduce the tariffs. A committee was thus set up to collate the concerns of consumers leading to the reduction. Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana