The Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), wants the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), to withdraw an increment it has introduced to some petroleum products.
The National Petroleum Authority on Friday directed Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) and LPG Marketing Companies to apply an upward review of a combined 4 pesewas increase in fuel prices, but COPEC says the directive comes at a time Ghanaians are already facing difficult times due to high petroleum price build-up.
Per the directive, the controversial BOST margin which currently stands at 3p/litre or some cumulative 10,200,000.00 from consumers is to be increased by 100% to a new rate of 6p/ litre or some cumulative 20,400,000.00 from consumers based on current conservative estimates of some 340 million litres of fuel consumed monthly, the UPPF component also gets increased by 4.7% or 1p from the current 21p/litre to 22p/ litre or some 3,420,000.00 cumulative monthly, COPEC noted in a statement.
COPEC’s Executive Director, Duncan Amoah in a Citi News interview said the directive appears to be an attempt to increase fuel prices again through BOST.
He said any such attempt will be fiercely resisted.
“Private depots that operate in the country do not get any margin from the trotro drivers[commercial bus drivers] and taxi drivers and so it is difficult at this point to justify any reason. Why should you even pay BOST margins, talk less about increasing the margin that we think should be scrapped all together.?,” he quizzed.
“Any attempt to increase fuel prices using BOST will be fiercely resisted, and we are giving by close of day today an ultimatum to the NPA to withdraw and reverse this increase” Duncan Amoah added.
COPEC said NPA would cause more hardship for petroleum consumers with the new directive especially when prices of fuel only recently went up by about 1%, with the upcoming festive season which will burden Ghanaians.
