The Minority in Parliament has accused the John Mahama-led government of forcibly taking GH¢5.6 billion from Ghanaians through what they describe as an unjustified “Dumsor Levy.”

Describing the newly imposed GH¢1 tax on petroleum products as “theft in the night,” the Minority contends that the levy’s impact is far greater than what has been publicly communicated.

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According to Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi, the real burden of the Dumsor Levy translates to an 8% charge per transaction—significantly higher than the 1% transaction charge associated with the controversial E-Levy.

Speaking to the media, he said:  “The E-Levy was announced in the budget and followed by nationwide town hall meetings. This Dumsor Levy, however, was neither mentioned in the budget nor captured in the main order paper for the day. That is why we say this amounts to midnight robbery.”

Oppong Nkrumah emphasized that while the E-Levy was intended to generate approximately GH¢2 billion from users who chose to perform electronic transactions, the Dumsor Levy is projected to extract a staggering GH¢5.6 billion from the public.  “The E-Levy, though criticized as pickpocketing, had an effective rate of 1% per transaction. This new levy, with an effective rate of 8%, is why we are calling it midnight robbery. This government is taking GH¢5.6 billion directly from Ghanaians, and we find that extremely dishonest,” he added.

The Minority is demanding transparency and accountability regarding the imposition of this new levy, insisting that such significant financial measures should not be passed without due public discourse or parliamentary scrutiny.

Energy Sector Levy: The Dumsor Levy takes over GH₵5.7 billion this year. If repealing E-Levy returned GH₵2 billion to Ghanaians, what does this new levy do? – Minority.#ThePulse #JoyNews pic.twitter.com/WZ6FXyfL3V

— JoyNews (@JoyNewsOnTV) June 9, 2025