John Dramani Mahama has promised to discontinue the provision of free fuel and other benefits to government officials if he wins the presidency in December.
During a meeting with the European Union Ambassador to Ghana, the former President outlined cost-saving measures his administration would implement, including reducing incentives for government officials.
“We will discontinue the payment of utility bills, fuel, and DSTV as conditions of service for top government officials, directors and the political class. We believe that people should take up paying their own electricity bills and water like every other Ghanaian does,” Mr. Mahama said.
He explained further that only government vehicles used for official business would get free fuel from the state, offering to offer tax incentives to registered Ghanaian businesses to boost local enterprises.
Join our WhatsApp Channel for more news
“Unless you are using a government vehicle on government assignment you should buy your own fuel if you are using your own car. And so we are going to discontinue them. Our budget will be to support small businesses and use tax as incentives for job creation,” he said.
Furthermore, Mr. Mahama promised to move Ghana from cash payments to electronic payments like Mobile Money in both government and private sectors by 2028.
“We want to phase out cash as a form of all payments by 2028, and so for any payment that you have to do for any service that has to do with the public sector and some to do with the private sector, by 2028, we will no longer receive cash. So in the hospital and other places, you would have to use your mobile money to pay. Only electronic forms of payments,” he said.
The implementation of electronic payments and the abolition of the e-levy have been prominent campaign promises made by both the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidates, with both parties recognizing their importance in their campaigns.
