GNCCI backs energy levy amendment to curb tax evasion

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) has backed Parliament's passage of the Energy Sector Levies (Amendment) Bill, 2026, saying measures aimed at blocking tax evasion and protecting government revenue are necessary, even though the new levies will increase costs for businesses.

Speaking on Business Focus on August 4 2026, the GNCCI CEO acknowledged that the introduction of any new levy or tax inevitably increases the cost of doing business.

However, he maintained that efforts to close tax loopholes and recover lost government revenue are justified.

"Any time you introduce any form of levy or tax, it's a cost to business," he said. "If there were abuses within the system leading to revenue losses, and government has identified the need to block those loopholes, then I support that."

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He expressed confidence that businesses would adapt to the new tax regime by reviewing their operations instead of automatically increasing prices for consumers.

"I don't think businesses will generally transfer all these costs to consumers. Once they realise it is an additional cost, they will readjust their systems," he noted.

The GNCCI CEO added that government has identified several areas where revenue leakages occur and has introduced measures to address them, including the latest amendment to the energy levies.

"We are in support of anything that will generate revenue for government," he stated. "There are several ways of improving revenue mobilisation, especially if people are engaging in illegal activities that affect revenue generation."

He also argued that while government may forgo some revenue under certain aspects of the policy, the broader benefits of tackling tax evasion outweigh any potential losses.

His comments come after Parliament passed the Energy Sector Levies (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which increases the Energy Sector Shortfall and Debt Repayment Levy on fuel oil as well as the Road Fund Levy on fuel oil.

According to government, the amendment is intended to address significant leakages and abuses within fuel subsidy programmes while dismantling tax evasion schemes in the downstream petroleum sector. Officials say the reforms will strengthen revenue mobilisation and improve the sustainability of financing for the energy sector.

SOURCE:3NEWS