It seems a good idea to fill up your car’s tank today, because the price of gasoline is again going up (see related story) effective 6:00am on Wednesday, May 13. The increase by 1.5 Caribbean guilder cents from Cg. 3.097 to 3.202 per litre is relatively modest, but comes after several other hikes.
Bus drivers recently held a meeting to discuss, among other things, higher fares due to added fuel expenses. Those operating diesel-engine vehicles will not be directly affected this time, as that tariff stays unchanged at Cg. 2.968. Nevertheless, the cost-of-living in general is rising, with water- and electricity producer GEBE announcing a fuel clause increase from Cg. 0.36 to 0.45 or by nine cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) in Monday’s newspaper. Make no mistake, most utility bills will go up as a result.
Prime Minister Luc Mercelina (General Affairs) is asking the government-owned company to provide more explanation. GEBE said it remains committed to relief programmes for seniors and vulnerable households.
During the latter’s first three months since being launched an average 238 households received assistance with their monthly invoice, for a combined Cg. 70,650, according to figures released by the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA. However, despite a reported application approval rate of 95% only 41.7% of the available funds were used.
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten is considering reducing taxes on fuel like many other countries. She has concerns about the financial applications, particularly with the continued lack of a 2026 national budget.
Ironically, government actually makes more money under the present circumstances at the burden of motorists and consumers in general due to higher shipping and transport costs. It may be called oversimplifying things, but many wonder if that is really fair and cannot somehow be prevented.
