Electricity tariffs: Proposed 148% “completely unacceptable and ridiculous” – John Jinapor

The Ranking Member on Parliament’s Mines and Energy Committee, John Jinapor, has described as completely unacceptable and ridiculous, the proposed increment in tariff by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

According to him, that cannot be accepted because it is absurd, owing to the fact that the ordinary Ghanaian is already reeling under harsh conditions from the 14% reduction announced by President Akufo-Addo in 2018.

“From January this year [2018], the non-residential tariff rate, which is the rate which includes all of you here, is being reduced by an average of 14%. For barbers, it is being reduced by 18%; for hairdressers and beauticians, 15.7%, and for tailors, 9.8%.”

“An average bill last year was GH¢562 a month. With this reduction from January, it is coming down to GH¢473 a month, which means GH¢88 has been taken from the electricity tariff that you pay. We want to encourage private business, and make a business stand on its feet,” the President had said.

But taking to his social media handle, the Yapei Kusawgu MP said the announcement of that reduction was populist and had accumulated debt on the state.

“It should be noted that the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) established under ACT 538, 1997 has a principal mandate of regulating and overseeing the provision of utility services by public utilities to consumers. The PURC, by practice and convention, has adopted the ‘Automatic Tariff Adjustment Formula’ to forestall any unwanted price hikes.”

“It is, therefore, preposterous for the utility companies to propose such astronomical tariff adjustments dating back to 2019. Today, the ordinary consumer is being called upon to pay for the debt that has accumulated from that populist reduction [of the President],” he said.

Touching on the proposal from the ECG submitted to the PURC for a 148% adjustment to cover the period between 2019 and 2022, Mr Jinapor said “these proposed tariff hikes are completely unacceptable and ridiculous.”