Former Health Minister Dr Bernard Okoe Boye Warns Fuel Tax Suspension Offers Only Short-Term Relief
Former Health Minister and ex-Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, has cautioned that the government’s suspension of taxes on fuel may provide temporary relief to consumers but does little to resolve Ghana’s deeper structural problems in public finance.
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on Friday, April 10, Dr Okoe Boye said the country must confront its fiscal reality with clearer and more innovative thinking.
“I think with time, things are likely to remain the same in this country or worse, unless we get leaders that are willing to be innovative and to think outside the box,” he stated.
He criticised past approaches to fuel price shocks, describing them as often driven by political convenience rather than long-term economic sustainability.
“There is a lot of déjà vu that is going on,” he noted, recalling earlier periods when governments attempted to absorb fuel price increases despite fiscal constraints.
Dr Okoe Boye warned that such practices mask the true cost of government spending and can create long-term pressure on the economy.
“When petrol prices go up, the government comes to say we have absorbed the increases. You had a country that was claiming to absorb increases in petrol prices when we ourselves were not fiscally sound,” he said.
He explained that governments facing revenue shortfalls typically rely on three main options — borrowing, printing money (which fuels inflation), or raising taxes — each with significant consequences for citizens.
Dr Okoe Boye also questioned the assumptions behind recent revenue reform discussions.
“I tried to calculate that equation and it was wrong,” he said, referring to debates on proposed tax adjustments and revenue projections.
He stressed that the core issue remains the need for honest budgeting and realistic economic planning rather than politically driven interventions.
“The gap that Kojo Oppong Nkrumah pointed to, it existed to the end,” he added.
His comments come amid ongoing public debate on fuel prices, taxation, and the government’s efforts to manage the cost of living while maintaining fiscal discipline.
Source: Interview with Dr Bernard Okoe Boye on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana (April 10, 2026)
