Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Spring 2026

Abstract

Ghana’s 2023 Emissions Levy Act (Act 1112) imposed charges on large industrial emitters and vehicles, intending to internalize pollution costs and raise government revenue. This study applies to Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) to explain the policy’s rapid repeal. Drawing on legislative texts, official reports, and media accounts, it categorizes influences into the problem (rising living costs), policy (design features), and politics (stakeholder mobilization) streams. Key findings reveal that the levy’s mixed design, a per-ton CO₂ fee on industry combined with a flat vehicle ownership tax, undermined its climate rationale and appeared more as a revenue grab. Implementation gaps exacerbated fairness concerns: the strict vehicle fees applied immediately via licensing, whereas complex emissions reporting for industry lagged (many large emitters were never assessed). Revenues were unearmarked (funneled into the general fund), deepening public distrust. With inflation still high, even modest transport-cost hikes (e.g. fuel) sharply raised living expenses, framing the levy as an undue burden. Transport unions, traders, and labor groups explicitly framed the levy as a regressive “added burden,” mobilizing protests and pressuring politicians. Media coverage highlighted these immediate economic impacts, intensifying public backlash. In early 2025 these streams aligned: acute economic pain (problem stream), organized opposition (politics stream), and the simple availability of legislative repeal (policy stream) opened a policy window, leading to swift abolition of the levy. The case underscores that even well-intentioned carbon taxes may fail without careful design, transparency, and political buy-in.

Comments

PLS – 4763: Environmental Politics and Policy

Instructor: Dr. Paul Danyi

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