Accra, Sept. 16, GNA - The Ghana National Party (GNP) on Tuesday argued that the current ex-pump price of 5.4 Ghana cedis per gallon of petrol was largely due to added taxes "to offset the cost of the free fuel that politicians enjoy".

"If the GNP is voted into power we will scrap that colonial regime that gives free fuel to state functionaries and we believe that will enable us to reduce the price of fuel to GHC3.4 without losing money," he said.

He noted that the ex-refinery cost per gallon of petrol from the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) was not more than GH¢ 2.5. Mr Ampofo said when voted into power, his administration would only give free unrestricted use of fuel to the security services, comprising the Police, Military, CEPS, Immigration and Prisons for their operations and not for personal use.

"All other government officials would be paid living wages and be expected to buy their own fuel and pay taxes like what happens in the developed countries," he said.

Mr. Ampofo said the objective would be to create a fair society and save as much money as possible for national development that will serve the interest of all and not just a few elites. He said: "Colonialism is long gone and this economically unviable arrangement of free everything for state functionaries should have gone with it."

Mr. Ampofo argued that at 140 US dollars per barrel, the world crude oil price should not have pushed inflation in Ghana up to over 18 per cent had government officials been made to pay for the huge volumes of fuel they consumed for free.

He said currently every Minister, Parliamentarian, Chief Executive, District Chief Executive, Municipal Chief Executive and the several other top Government officials drove free cars, consuming fuel. "GNP will change the way politics is done in this country to ensure that the poor people of Ghana do not continue to pay for the comfort of the elite," Mr Ampofo said.