Assin Central Member of Parliament (MP), Kennedy Ohene Agyapong has kicked against the yet-to-be implemented road towing levy.
According to him, the Transport Ministry has not adequately considered the real preventive solutions but swiftly moving to another phase with the sole aim of surcharging and collecting monies whiles ignoring the very pertinent issues that cause accident in the country.
“Seriously, I hate this towing levy that government wants to impose on innocent citizens. I am totally against it. How can you tell me to go buy my vehicle and when it breaks down, instead of calling for it to be checked by the insurance company, you expect me to go get it towed with a levy. What kind of useless thinking is this?” he quizzed.
Following protests by the citizenry, the Government put on hold the implementation of the law that mandates vehicle owners to pay an annual mandatory towing levy.
Deputy Transport Minister, Daniel Nii Kwatei Titus-Glover, explained that the Ministry listened to the plights and cries of Ghanaians, which culminated into suspending the law.
Passed in 2012, the LI 2180 was given five years fallow period after which it would jump to life in 2017.
With two weeks to its implementation, the new regulation has been met with public disapproval.
Some have questioned the basis for which the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) awarded the contract to the Road Safety Management Limited (RSML), a subsidiary of the Jospong Group owned by Businessman, Joseph Siaw Agyapong.
Fees per year for both commercial and non-commercial vehicles, depending on tonnage, range from GHS20 to GHS200.
Speaking on Adom TV’s Morning Show “Badwam” Tuesday, Ken Ohene Agyapong believes the existing road safety laws, if enforced, would lead to much safer roads for all than simply imposing a mandatory levy on all vehicle owners.
He stressed that it was high time the state accepted responsibility for failing to apply the needed resources in dealing with the actual causes of road accidents.
The outspoken MP who claims to have no knowledge about government’s plan further urged Ghanaians to object to what he describes as the lackadaisical attitude towards solving problems in this country.
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Audio: I am against this 'outmoded' tow levy – Ken Agyapong
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