Mr Cecil Garbrah, Executive Director and Founder of Toptech Transport and Logistics has urged for the reintroduction of road tolls to generate cash for national development.
He criticised the government’s proposal to phase out road taxes in 2022 in favour of the E-levy. According to him, road tolls are an excellent method of raising revenue for the building of motorable routes to ensure residents’ safety.
Mr Garbrah expressed his dissatisfaction with the current situation of the Accra-Tema highway, particularly at night, on Tuesday, July 26th, on the Ghana Tonight broadcast on TV3.
“It was a wrong thing for the government to say no to tolls. All over the world, tolls are used to build a nation, like streets, streetlights etc. They are used for collecting money for good and better highways”, Mr Garbrah said.
He advocated that upon resumption, the collection of the toll should be automated, “We do not need a human at the toll, it should be automated,” he said.
Mr Garbah also proposed that payment for road tolls be connected to the process of renewing a roadworthy certificate. The toll would be collected immediately whenever car owners renewed their roadworthy certifications in this manner. He also advocated the development of a smartphone app that would allow all users to pay the toll simply and alleviate congestion near toll booths.
The transport expert was particularly concerned about a popular video portraying squatters taking over the booths. He encouraged authorities to apprehend those responsible.
“I thought it was a joke but it was not so, such a person should be arrested,” he said.
The proposal to eliminate road tolls in 2022 elicited mixed emotions and strong pushback from residents, with many voicing their discontent. According to 2017 data, the country’s 37 toll booths earned GHC78 million in revenue, strengthening the case for their reintroduction.
