We’re unhappy about President’s silence on fuel hikes - COPEC

The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers-Ghana (COPEC-GHANA), has expressed disappointment in President Akufo-Addo for failing to address the incessant fuel price hikes in the country when he delivered the State of the Nation Address(SONA) on the floor of Parliament on Thursday

COPEC maintained that it will continue to press for reduction in the cost petrol and diesel despite President’s inability to address the fuel issue.

A statement signed by the Executive Secretary of COPEC-GHANA Mr Duncan Amoah and copied to Oman FM, threatened to roll out series of actions in the next two weeks if the trend continues.

“We have followed with keen interests, today’s State of the Nation Address by the president to see if there is any solutions in place as far as the rising costs of fuel in the country is concerned, but unfortunately not a word or a line on prices, indicating no solution yet in sight as far as the increases are concerned.

“We wish to state for the avoidance of doubt our earlier stance, we demand for a downward review of the harsh and crippling taxes especially the Special Petroleum Tax (SPT), leading to these incessant increases and also caution further that, any more attempts at increases with the usual untenable excuses of grammar will be fiercely met with further protests and demonstrations using the mass approach this time,” the statement said.

It added that: “We will want to believe the appropriate authorities will stop the needless attempts to rationalise and justify the rather high fuel prices currently at the various pumps and rather work to reduce these prices.”

“We continue to keep an eye on the situation and will roll out our next line of action in the next two weeks IF the spate of increases continues,” the statement concluded.