Ghanaians have been reacting angrily to a copy of a receipt issued to a customer by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) which shows shocking GHC405 deductions in taxes alone from GHC500 worth of credit purchased, leaving only GHC94.54.
A screengrab of the receipt was uploaded to social media and it has since been in circulation, causing people to lament and share their disheartening personal experiences.
It is not clear if the receipt in question was an anomaly or if it is what it is.
ECG hiked tariffs effective February 1 following approval by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURC) on January 16, 2023, for 30% and 8.3% for electricity and water respectively.
According to the PURC, the increment was a result of the cedi depreciation, soaring inflation and issues with power generation.
In a statement issued by the ECG before the start of the implementation of the increased tariff, the power distributor said it has catalogued all unit consumption and the expected cost in a “Reckoner” which clearly explains how the tariff is applied and billed.
“Please note that individual customers’ tariff percentage increase will depend on customer classification and consumption category. The Reckoner will be displayed at all our districts and customer service centres nationwide to guide customers on their electricity purchases.”
“ECG, by this announcement, assures our customers and stakeholders of our commitment to ensuring a smooth implementation of the new tariff.”
It however appears that the smooth implementation that the ECG said it wanted to embark on is not what is happening. The company would have to do a lot of public education or clarifications as to why customers are paying so much in tax deductions when they buy credit, or admit to a system error and rectify it to avoid chaos.
