Leader of the Opposition the Honorable Sharlene Cartwright-Robinson voiced her concerns today over the high cost of fuel impacting Turks & Caicos Islanders.
The Leader in her release states the following:
With the steady plummeting of the price of fuel over recent months and today’s release that the price of oil has fallen below $50 a barrel for the first time since 2009, we are concerned that we are not experiencing or seeing a significant savings or reduction in costs at the pumps and also in the provision of electricity.
While we understand the multi – port handling and the cost of transportation to the islands, we are certain that the price should have been positively impacted by now. In the absence of large storage facilities, the lowered costs should have by now been reflected and passed on to the consumer. And so, we believe that there should have been significant reductions in fuel costs by now.
There is no doubt that the cost of fuel which includes the government’s tax of $1.00 per gallon contributes to the high cost of living and doing business in these islands. There can only be significant benefit to our country’s economy if the providers would pass on their savings.
Nonetheless, we are publicly calling on merchants to share their savings with the customers. This can only help the economy which in turn will benefit us all.
The Opposition will continue to visit these merchants this week in an effort to make representations in this area.
