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Ranking Member on Finance Committee of Parliament, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei says it is no longer necessary for the Mahama-led government to continue to tax Ghanaians on oil exploration levy.

He explained that aside the exploration levy Ghanaians have been mandated to pay, there is a whole budget every year that the government gives to GNPC to do exploration in the country.

Touching on the current fuel price in the country, Dr. Akoto Osei revealed it is based on the IMF conditionality to adjust fuel price depending on the world crude oil price hike and the cedi depreciation.

The Old Tafo Member of Parliament asserted that the IMF conditionality to determine fuel price bi-weekly and the oil exploration levy without the amendment of the fuel price deregulation law are too much of a burden on Ghanaians to bear.

According to the former Deputy Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, aside the country’s dependent on IMF conditionality to determine the fuel price for now until the deregulation is amended, government gives GNPC a whole budget to do exploration; stating “it is unnecessary to tax Ghanaians”.

Speaking to the Host, Kwami Sefa-Kayi of “Kokrokoo” Morning Show, Dr. Anthony Akoto Osei cried out to President John Dramani Mahama to remove the exploration levy as all the money is given to the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) couple with the whole budget every year for exploration.

“This why government has to remove the exploration levy because it is not necessary as we give all the money to GNPC; government can easily remove it because now the question is who is using the money because government gives GNPC a whole budget to do exploration”, he bemoaned.