AFAG calls on PURC to reduce tariffs

Members of Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG), a political pressure group, on Wednesday expressed concern about the inability of Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to review downwards the tariffs.

Mr Abu Ramadan, a leading member of AFAG, addressing a press conference in Accra, said the organization had noticed that the Presidential directive and continuous appeal to government and PURC by civil societies, employers, industrialists, organised labour and trade unions to reconsider downwards the utility tariffs had not been heeded.

“AFAG finds the defiant posture of PURC rather strange, unfortunate and a sustained embarrassment to the Government.

“We stand by our submission that any such increase in utility tariffs must be commensurate with good services and in addition, not at a time that the purchasing power of the Ghanaian is quickly eroding and the real value of worker income is nothing good to write home about.

“Indeed, if PURC justified increase in tariffs based on the levels of depreciation of the cedi and average inflation rate, where lies the justification for the tariff increase as inflation keeps dropping?

“AFAG believes the current threat by employers to lay off over 60,000 workers is a real threat to the socio-economic stability of the system and this must not be taken for granted“, they said.

AFAG called on PURC to organise consumer forum for deliberations on utility tariff increase in the country.

Source: GNA