The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has exonerated itself saying its new billing software is not responsible for the hikes in the tariffs.

According to the ECG, government's removal of subsidy on electricity and introduction of value added tax on commercial users are to be blamed for the hikes.

This was made known to the Parliament's Mines and Energy Committee when officials of the company appeared before it on May 31.

ECG has been criticised severely by Ghanaians for what is largely described as errors in its billing. The company's billing software was blamed resulting in a ban placed on the implementation of its new billing software by the Public Utility and Regulatory Commission (PURC).

The company is also facing another fate which has to do with the decision by the government to privatize it. This decision has angered the workers who have threatened the government if it does not rescind its decision.

But speaking to Joy News at the end of the meeting, Member of Parliament for Effia Constituency in the Western Region, Joseph Cudjoe said claims leveled against the company are false and not based on fact.

He also said impressions which were created on the floor of Parliament branding ECG as the "bad boy" were based on rumours.

Buoyed by facts and figures presented by the company, Mr Cudjoe said "I can say for a fact that it is not a software issue."

So far as ECG is concerned, he continued, their performance target in connection with billing as an opperational issue is the best.

He said ECG is expected to achieve a minimum target of 98 percent, but the company is doing 99.9 percent accuracy which he described as "par excellence."

He called on Ghanaians to rally behind the national power distributor so as to empower it to do more.