On November 5, 2020, the last adjustment was made on fuel under the then UDP administration. On that date, the only adjustment made was on the pump price for
diesel, which decreased by 39 cents, going down from $8.33 to $7.94 per gallon.
The prices for premium gasoline, regular gasoline, and kerosene were at $9.20, $8.86, and $4.73 per gallon, respectively. Six days later on November 11, 2020 we went into the election and there was a change of government with those very same prices. Then came the PUP, which ushered in an era of steady fuel increases with every shipment of fuel, except for one occasion, when on December 23, 2020, which was two days before
Christmas we were given a Christmas gift of a three- cent decease in the pump price of regular gasoline. The price was taken down from $9.09 to $9.06. Fast-forward
to present day on Wednesday, February 3, 2021, the pump price of regular gasoline increased by 51 cents from $9.27 to $9.78 per gallon. The prices for premium
gasoline, kerosene, and diesel are presently at $9.89, $6.46 and $8.74 per gallon, respectively.
Since the change of government, Belizeans have seen premium gasoline go up by 69 cents, going from $9.20 to $9.89; regular gasoline went up by 92 cents, going from
$8.86 to $9.78; diesel, went up by 80 cent, going from $7.94 to $8.74; kerosene went up by a whopping $1.73 from $4.73 to $6.46 per gallon. Total cumulative raise for all fuel products is now $5.87. The present position on fuel of the new administration is quite the
opposite from when it was in opposition. At that time, its leader was a crusader for fuel prices to be lowered. Being someone who was and still is in the fuel business, he has first-hand knowledge of how much the government receives from fuel. This is a statement that
he made back then: “The price is set by the government, the pump price. And so we have to follow the law, and we sell by the pump price. We have a margin but if the price goes up our margin does not increase. It is the tax that is going up. It is because the Prime Minister
needs to have that 42% or over $5 per gallon on fuel.
Why is it that the price of fuel continues to go up? Because the price of fuel continues to go up does not mean that the service station dealers are going to make more money. Actually, they make less because they end up selling less fuel because people can afford less to
buy fuel. So, it is an asinine, it is a stupid argument that members of the UDP are trying to make to, again, attempt to try and divert attention from the real problem. The government is overtaxing the Belizean people on fuel.”
Knowing what his position was back then, it is only natural for Belizean to expect that he, now being the Prime Minister, we would be getting an ease at the fuel pump, but that is not the case. To paraphrase Mutabaruka, “…when you not in power, it is easy to
say this and that, but when you have power, it is a different sanky you have to sing.” The reality of the situation has caught up with the PUP and they cannot deliver on all the reckless promises that they used to chant while in opposition. They are now finding out
that it is easy to spend and give away when you are not the ones to find the money to cover the expenses. There is one thing that we can promise the Prime Minister, that is, unlike him, Belizeans have long memories and we tend to be very unforgiving when in comes to issuing out punishment to those who have wronged us. On March 3, Belizeans will get a chance to start to issue the punishment to our transgressors.