The Minority in Parliament is raising concerns about a $7 charge imposed by the government on Airline tickets, asserting that it is illegal since only Parliament has the authority to impose fees and charges.
Sources reveal that the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has instructed airlines to include a $7 fee per passenger on each international airline ticket sold and remit it to a government agency as a luggage fumigation charge.
AviationGhana sources indicate that the Ghana Airports Company Limited conveyed the decision of the GHS to airlines operating at Kotoka International Airport in Accra during a meeting held on Thursday, June 22.
In an interview, Minority Chief Whip and Ranking Member on the Roads and Transport Committee, Governs Kwame Agbodza, urged airlines to ignore the government's directive to impose the charge.
“The stakeholders have expressed their dissatisfaction with it. Airlines believe this will further complicate their operations, especially as they continue to struggle for recovery after COVID,” Agbodza stated.
“Airline tickets are still relatively high, and charging this amount for luggage fumigation is absurd. We will not accept this. No government agency has the right to impose additional charges without the knowledge of Parliament, and I encourage airlines to disregard this until we reach a consensus that it is necessary,” he added.
Agbodza also highlighted that Parliament was completely sidelined in the imposition of the charge, emphasizing that the relevant committee, the Roads and Transport Committee, was not informed about it.
He further alleged that this move was a means for some government officials to exploit ordinary Ghanaians, especially during these challenging economic times.
“I have never seen a fumigation charge for bags before. Moreover, what does fumigating bags with a $7 fee mean? What kind of chemicals will be used? What kind of contamination are we talking about? This unnecessary attempt is essentially a way to extract nearly $15 million from passengers,” Agbodza stressed.
The Minority plans to request full details of the charge to be presented in Parliament and will take all necessary actions to prevent the imposition of what they consider an illegal fee.
