The Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) has objected to the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) directive to implement the new Energy Sector Shortfall and Debt Repayment Levy (ESSDRL) effective June 9, 2025.
COMAC describes the approach as “neither lawful nor operationally feasible” and “smacking of coercion rather than governance.”
In a letter to the GRA Commissioner-General, COMAC’s CEO, Dr. Riverson Oppong, stated that the abrupt implementation denies industry players the lead time needed to adjust systems, prices, and inventory.
“How are OMCs, most importantly those on the cash and carry system, to generate funds for a tax they did not anticipate, on stock to be lifted tomorrow?” Dr. Oppong asked.
COMAC is requesting a minimum two-week transition period, with a new implementation date of June 16, 2025, to allow industry players to align with the major fiscal change.
“We are industry stakeholders, not bystanders, and we deserve better than Rambo-style directives in the middle of a weekend,” Dr. Oppong emphasized.
The downstream sector is already burdened with eight separate taxes and levies, cumulatively representing 22% of the ex-pump price.
The ESSDRL increment pushes this to 26%, threatening industry survival, competitiveness, and consumer welfare.
COMAC has made its position clear, stating that “COMAC and its members cannot and will not begin implementation of this levy from Monday, 9th June.”
The Chamber is seeking an urgent and constructive response from the GRA.
Have a news story, press release, or opinion piece you’d like to share with our audience? We’d love to hear from you! Please reach out to us at editor@metrotvonline.com
