MINISTER OF Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Atta has directed road toll collectors to ensure that ministers pay road tolls.
The Minister observed with the exception of a select few, that all Ghanaians including ministers of state, are mandated to pay.
Mr. Amoako-Atta who recently posted the performance of his ministry over the last two years indicated that he has received reports that some public officials hide behind their titles to avoid paying tolls at toll booths.
According to the Minister, “I have heard some people get to the booths and they say I’m managing director or that, and so they just pass.
He added that “All the toll booth collectors in this country have been instructed that every single individual in Ghana, no matter who are you, you are to pay tolls, if you are a minister you have to pay, if you are managing director you are to pay.”
He said “I’m the Roads minister now by the grace of God, anywhere I pass, you can ask my driver I pay my tolls,” he told the media Friday.”
He told the collectors that “It is important that we sharpen our competence in road toll collection because road tolls are the second highest contributor to the Road Fund.
According to him, “The highest contributor to that fund is the fuel levy. If you take all the toll booths in the country as at now, we have 35 of them nationwide and out of this 35, it is only four that are automated and the four are the NgleshieAmanfrom, Accra Plaza ,Tema Plaza and the Amasaman booth.”
He added that “What I will do to improve on the toll collection is to improve on the automation of many of them as possible. I will ensure that those that can be automated will be automated to improve toll collection.”
BY Melvin Tarlue