The Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has asked government to halt utility tariff increases announced by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC)recently.
[contextly_sidebar id=”nTQSDO8ycSepPLb5jl6UbB7WHNKcVnO7″]According to the GCCI the hardship on businesses keeps increasing with the power rationing exercise still ongoing and any increase in utility tariffs will only cripple the private sector.
The cost of electricity as part of the increment was to go up by 51. 73 percent while that of water has been increased by 15 percent but the PURC had deferred the increase for electricity due to the current electricity supply situation, but okayed the adjustment for water because of the notable expansion in water infrastructure and considerable improvement in supply.
Speaking to Citi Business News the first vice president of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry Dr. Prosper Adabla asked government to defer the increment to early 2016.
He explains why.
“Even a one percent increase in utility will affect our members, will affect our fortunes even one percent let alone 15 percent and 51 percent plus.
There is a problem dumsor has extended more than it should most of the businesses have been crippled because of that.
People have adjusted and all that, there is a programme in place and they must follow it.”
Dr. Prosper Adabla told Citi Business News that under the current economic conditions more business are likely to collapse if the increases are allowed and that will lead to unemployment figures going up.
“I think government must not increase utility prices at this moment, it must wait until dumsor is over and then give us a little time until somewhere next year, first or second quarter and then space out the increment as the jump is too high.”
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By: Norvan Acquah – Hayford/citifmonline.com/Ghana
