The Ghana Airport Company Board led by Paul Adom Otchere and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) have been instructed by President Akufo-Addo to immediately remove their proposed $7 fumigation tax at the airport.
According to reports, the President and his sector minister are unaware of the passenger fee assessed by the Ghana Health Service on each foreign airline ticket issued and remitted to the government agency as luggage fumigation fee.
The Minority in Parliament is already sounding the alarm bells over the $7 charge imposed by the government on airline tickets as illegal.
The Minority describes the charge as illegal as it is only Parliament that can impose fees and charges.
Kwame Agbodza, the minority chief whip and ranking member of the Roads and Transport Committee, urged airlines to disregard the government’s order not to charge that sum.
“You’d realize that airline tickets are still considerably high. To charge this amount for the fumigation of bags is an absurdity. We are not going to accept this. No agency of government has the right to impose additional charges without the knowledge of Parliament and I encourage airlines to disregard this for now until we all come to the conclusion that this is relevant,” he said.
If put into effect, the US$7 fumigation fee will push up airfares even further, which are already high due to high aviation fuel prices, a depreciating local currency, and a general economic downturn since last year.
