World oil prices have been on a sharp and steady decline for a month now - but critics say they're not seeing that reflected at the pump here in Belize. Today, the PUP Representative for Toledo West, Oscar Requena raised that matter when he spoke on the adjournment:...
Hon. Oscar Requena, Area Rep., Toledo East
"Some time around mid-December, Belizeans woke up to find substantial increases in the prices of fuel at the pump. Mr. Speaker, this is in the context of the prices of fuel per barrel going down on the word market, not gong up - going down. But yet in Belize the prices of fuel have gone up. It's just the reverse. Belizean are very concern, they are very outraged that this government has seen it fit to continue to tax, to gouge the taxes on Belizeans. They are very much concerned and they are saying how it could be when you look at the world market as I said before the prices have gone done significantly. If you look at our neighbors in Guatemala, in Mexico and other countries, prices are going down substantially. But yet in Belize it is the reverse. Why it is that government does not see it fit to reduce the price of fuel, because price of fuel have gone down, to ensure that our bus people can survive and make a little bit more money. This is important. The productive sector depends upon fuel, whether it is bananas, whether it is citrus, whether it is other forms agriculture dependent upon fuel. Man, if you lower the price of fuel it is an incentive for other people to invest in agriculture."
According to internet sources, the price of a gallon of regular gasoline in the Latin countries of Central America ranges between four dollars and 70 cents Belize dollars per gallon in Panama, to seven dollars and fifty cents US per gallon in Costa Rica. Belize's Regular gas is at over eight dollars per gallon.
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