PM responds to rising cost of fuel

Fuel prices at the pump have been steadily rising and they recently reached a new upward mark. On Sunday regular gas rose to eight dollars and one cent, premium rose to eight dollars and sixty-one cents while diesel went up to six dollars and sixty-one cents per gallon. On March sixth the Prime Minister promised to remove some of the tax from fuel if regular and premium went above seven dollars. That was then but today the story is different.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“The truth is that while high gas prices are a burden, it is additional revenues being provided to government. And it is additional revenue that is desperately needed so there is a balancing act that I am doing. As soon as we can make that work I’ll make an announcement as to exactly how we propose to proceed.”

File: March 06, 2009
“If for any reason these turn out to be significantly higher than the experts predict, it is my promise that we would then come back and take off as much of this dollar increase as would put things back in alignment for the Belizean people.”

“I didn’t make any promise but to revisit the position depending on the circumstance. I have just said to you that I am in the process of doing that. The question of exactly what point will trigger our intervention and the form that the intervention will take is being decided.”

Jose Sanchez
“How soon should we get an announcement about the plan?”

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“About what plan?”

Jose Sanchez
“The plan on how you are going to decrease the gas rate.”

Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“I never said I was going to decrease the gas rate you know. I said I am looking at when to intervene and how to intervene. I don’t think I’ll take it beyond that. We are in the business of trying to deliver the goods and services for people. We must look at the overall picture. I am conceding that high gas prices are a burden on the consumer. We also need to look at the need for an assured revenue stream for government. We will take everything into account and when we decide that the time is right to do something, we will make a formal announcement.”