By: OrePulse

Ghana's Chamber of Oil Marketing Companies (COMAC) has called for the immediate suspension of a new provision that shifts petroleum tax collection duties from oil marketing companies to Bulk Import, Distribution and Export Companies, or BIDECs.

The chamber said Section 136 of the Customs Act 2026 (Act 1179) was enacted without industry consultation or an impact assessment, and warned the change could raise pump prices and disrupt fuel supplies.

Under the new rule, COMAC said, BIDECs would have to finance tax payments before receiving reimbursement from marketing companies, a shift it said could push up borrowing costs that would ultimately be passed on to consumers. The chamber described the measure as "a transfer of risk, not reform."

COMAC said BIDECs require about 45 days to remit taxes, compared with the 21-day cycle currently used by marketing companies. It also said concentrating tax obligations at the bulk-supply level could magnify the impact of any enforcement action across multiple retail outlets. It pointed to conflicting tax-payment triggers under different sections of the Act. The chamber further said system overrides within Ghana's Integrated Customs Management System had allowed some operators to exceed their approved credit limits.

Separately, COMAC said it had identified about 819.25 million liters of unaccounted-for petroleum products, representing an estimated 2.5 billion cedis in revenue implications for 2025.

The chamber gave the Ministry of Finance 14 days to announce a suspension of the provision, saying that if its demand was not met, it would convene an emergency meeting to pursue administrative, regulatory and legal action.

The Ghana Revenue Authority and the Finance Ministry had not responded to the chamber's demand as of the report.