Minority Slams PURC Tariff Cut as “Inadequate,” Demands Meter Probe Report and Scrap of GH¢1 Dumsor Levy
The Minority Caucus on Parliament’s select Committee on Energy has launched a fierce attack on government’s handling of the energy sector, describing the recent electricity tariff reduction as “grossly inadequate,” demanding immediate publication of the prepaid meter investigation report, and calling for the urgent repeal of the controversial GH¢1 Dumsor Levy amid rising fuel prices.
According to the Deputy Ranking on the committee Mr Collins Adomako Mensah said that, the 4.81% electricity tariff reduction announced by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission fails to reflect real economic conditions and shortchanges consumers who, they argue, have been overbilled for months.
Addressing a press conference, Afigya Kwabre North Mp insisted that a minimum 10% reduction would better compensate Ghanaians.
Citing what they describe as consistent overestimation of inflation and exchange rates by the regulator throughout 2025.
According to the Minority, these inflated projections led to excessive charges, with independent analysis suggesting consumers may have been overbilled by as much as GH¢1.5 billion in the last quarter of 2025 alone.
They further argued that despite the recent reduction, electricity tariffs have still increased cumulatively by about 23% since early 2025.
The group also dismissed claims that the IMF programme necessitated continuous tariff hikes, stressing that such increases were policy decisions by government, not external impositions.
On the ongoing prepaid meter controversy, the Minority accused the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Jinapor, of failing to ensure transparency.
They noted that a directive issued on February 25 for the Electricity Company of Ghana to investigate abnormal credit depletion and report within seven days has not been fulfilled, more than three weeks past the deadline.
The caucus described the silence as unacceptable, especially as consumers continue to report rapid depletion of prepaid credits.
They are demanding:
Immediate publication of the ECG investigation report, full disclosure by PURC on affected consumers and compensation measures and a parliamentary hearing into the crisis
The Minority warned that repeated delays risk eroding public confidence in Ghana’s electricity metering system.
On fuel prices, the caucus renewed its opposition to the GH¢1 Dumsor Levy, introduced under the Energy Sector Levies (Amendment) Act, 2025, arguing that current global conditions have rendered the tax unjustifiable.
They pointed to sharp increases in global crude oil prices driven by geopolitical tension as a major threat to domestic fuel costs, with projections indicating petrol and diesel prices could rise significantly in the coming weeks.
According to the Minority, the original justification for the levy stabilizing the energy sector and cushioning consumers no longer holds, especially after government reported substantial payments toward energy sector debts and restoration of key financial guarantees.
“Keeping the levy is not policy it is punishment,” the caucus declared, urging government to repeal it immediately and review other taxes within the fuel price structure to ease the burden on Ghanaians.
The Minority vowed to pursue the matter aggressively in Parliament, insisting that transparency, fair pricing, and consumer protection must take precedence in the management of Ghana’s energy sector.
Report by PKB
