Taxi drivers call for total rollback on fuel taxes
Published:Tuesday | April 26, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Carl Gilchrist, Gleaner Writer
TAXI DRIVERS in St Ann are urging the Government to completely remove the tax on gasolene for operators in order to help them cope with spiralling costs.
At the same time, several drivers have said the recently announced reduction in the tax is not being reflected at most gas stations.
One driver plying the Charles Town to Ocho Rios route, who gave his name as Charles, said the removal of the tax would go a far way in helping the operators to cope.
"We need a cheaper rate on gas fi di taxi man. Tek off all di tax because at the end of the day, all we working for is the gas station operator," he complained to The Gleaner last Wednesday.
The driver of a Corolla station wagon, he said when he started in the business just over five year ago, it required $1,500 to fill his tank. Today, the cost is over $5,000.
Another driver on the same route, Newton Green, said gas prices have remained stagnant since the Government announced a gas-tax reduction.
"It just stagnant; it nuh mek sense. It waa go dung!" Green said.
most common users of petrol
He supported his counterpart's call for a tax exemption, saying taxi operators are the most common users of petrol in the island. He said if the roads were being fixed with the tax as was promised by Government, it would be good, but high gas prices coupled with bad roads make life extremely difficult for taxi operators.
A driver plying the Exchange to Ocho Rios route was also upset about the stagnant prices.
"This is all a joke thing, honestly," said Anthony. "Whenever the price to go up, as soon as 6 o'clock come, the price go up, but every time they say drop the price, is all two weeks the price stay the same. "It's ridiculous; I don't think it makes any sense," he added.
But some taxi operators expressed different views, saying prices have actually been reduced in some instances by as much as five dollars.
'Mi see some reduction," said an Ocho Rios to St Ann's Bay route taxi operator. Drivers in the St Ann area might feel hard done by comparative gas prices elsewhere.
A check last Wednesday with Total service stations in Ocho Rios, in Greenwood, St James and May Pen, Clarendon, showed St Ann with the highest prices and for all three types of gases.
Respective prices for St Ann, St James and Clarendon were prem 87 - $112.40, $106.10, $105.90; prem 90 - $118.50, $112.10, $113.50; diesel - $117.70, $109.20, $115.40.