{
  "id": 11378689,
  "title": "COMAC wants fuel taxes frozen to ease pressure on consumers",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/comac-wants-fuel-taxes-frozen-to-ease-pressure-on-consumers-11378689",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-02T06:23:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Adom Online",
    "slug": "adom-online",
    "url": "https://www.adomonline.com/comac-wants-fuel-taxes-frozen-to-ease-pressure-on-consumers/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) has urged the government to freeze fuel taxes and levies to alleviate the burden on consumers amidst escalating global oil prices. Dr. Riverson Oppong, COMAC's CEO, contends that reducing the tax burden could serve as a more sustainable means of protecting consumers from rising fuel costs. He emphasized that the government's Uniform Pricing Policy Fund, which ensures uniform fuel prices across Ghana, should not be misconstrued as a loss of government revenue. \"The uniform pricing policy fund is to ensure that irrespective of where you buy fuel, whether Tamale, Kumasi, etc., the price is the same,\" he stated. Dr. Oppong explained that the fund's purpose is to maintain consistent fuel prices regardless of the buyer's location. He further noted that the primary financial strain on the government emanates from taxes and levies imposed on petroleum products. \"This can never be attributed to government revenue. It could be government intervention, no doubt. But the real subsidy, the real pain that will affect government budgets, is the taxes and levies,\" he noted. Dr. Oppong reiterated his plea for the government to temporarily suspend certain fuel taxes to alleviate the pressure on consumers and businesses. \"How many times have we been preaching about this one cedi to be frozen for some time? You are aware, but now it has been so,\" he remarked. While welcoming the government's move to cushion consumers, Dr. Oppong insisted that further actions could be taken through the tax system. \"We are happy for the government intervention, and I’ll still keep on saying that that’s government intervention. It’s good. We appreciate that,\" he affirmed. Dr. Oppong's stance is motivated by concerns for the downstream petroleum industry's sustainability. \"I care. You see, I care because I care about the industry. Anything that will bring operations or the industry to a halt, I’m against it,\" he emphasized. He suggested that the government could utilize revenue from additional crude oil production to bolster the downstream sector. \"Ghana is an oil-producing country. George, we produce oil,\" he pointed out. Dr. Oppong argued that the government could repurpose some of the unexpected gains from increased crude oil revenues to alleviate the downstream sector's challenges. \"Wasn’t it a good idea for the government to sit down with stakeholders and say, Hey guys, I was meant to make $100 million; now I’m making 120 million. Can I bring this $20 million to cushion the downstream?\" he questioned. He emphasized the need for dialogue between the upstream and downstream petroleum sectors, suggesting that the downstream sector, which is experiencing difficulties, could benefit from the extra profits of the upstream sector. \"Because the downstream is crying, upstream is laughing,\" he asserted. \"So let’s have this dialogue. Instead of one side being happy, can we share the extra profit or the win for profit that we are getting from upstream?\" he added.",
  "summary": "The Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) is calling for a freeze on fuel taxes and levies as government continues to subsidise diesel amid rising global oil prices. Chief Executive Officer of COMAC, Dr Riverson Oppong, says reducing the tax burden could provide a more sustainable way of cushioning consumers from rising fuel prices. He […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": "https://urgent.news/ill/11378689.png",
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "MyJoyOnline Ghana",
        "title": "COMAC wants fuel taxes frozen to ease pressure on consumers",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/02/comac-wants-fuel-taxes-frozen-to-ease-pressure-on-consumers",
        "published": "2026-10-02T03:52:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}