Water bills not increased - Ghana Water Company responds to shortage, cost concerns
- The Water Company says tariffs have not increased
- A section of consumers had earlier concerns over hike in utility
- The US-based report also says Mahama may not lead the party in 2024
The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) says claims of water bills increasing are untrue.
According to the Water Service provider, water tariffs are not increased unless approved by the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC).
“Tariffs used in billing customers are only and can be approved and accepted by the PURC. If PURC hasn’t increased tariffs, there’s no way GWCL can increase the tariffs of Consumers,” Public Relations Manager for GWCL, Stanley Martey said.
Consumers have accused government and the service of overbilling the public to cover up the cost of free water supply introduced as part of incentive packages to support citizens in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In other news
The Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) – a US based research institute – is predicting that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) will be victorious in the 2024 general elections.
According to the research unit, the main reason for NDC’s victory will be that President Akufo-Addo should have completed his 8-year-tenure hence the normal trend of power going to the next main opposition political party.
Even though John Dramani Mahama is touted as the possible candidate for the NDC in 2024, the EIU in its report indicates that opposition party may go in for a new leader.
“The next parliamentary and presidential elections are due in 2024. Under the constitutionally mandated term limits, Mr. Akufo-Addo cannot run for a third term. Mr. Mahama is reportedly considering whether to run again, but we expect the NDC to seek to revitalize its prospects with a fresh candidate.”
Meanwhile
The Technical Advisor to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Nii Noi Ashong, has disclosed that government is in a tight place to increase salaries of public-sector workers in the next three years.
Speaking at the Post-budget seminar organized by the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI), Dr. Nii Noi Ashong remarked that government has little to no cash to spend on compensation.
“I must be honest here. We have eaten to the bone. With Covid-19’s impact on expenditure, we can’t at this time consider salary increments for the next three years,” he stated.
So far, government has spent 17 billion cedis on Covid-19 expenditure. The country’s debt-to-GDP has also shot up to over 70 percent – a development that has got many economists call for more austere spending from government.
Meanwhile, the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has rejected the offer by government. Head of the TUC has explained that government must rather decide cutting down salaries of presidential staffers before considering the Public Sector.
Enjoy reading our stories? Join YEN.com.gh's Telegram channel!
Download YEN's news app on Google Play now and stay up-to-date with major Ghana news.
Source: YEN.com.gh
