Members of the public have expressed disappointment and frustrations on social media on the move by the local gas stations to “close early” the day before the Government issues the prices for petrol.
Some business owners told Radio Polynesia about the “unfairness” in how the gas stations are opting to close early.
“This is one way for them to make money and it is unfair,” said one businesswoman.
One man said, there should be governance policies for the “cheating actions” by the gas station owners.
“They normally close late, but on Tuesday night, they closed early and we all know they want to make money but then these are services that are required daily and these types of actions should be sanctioned by the Government.”
Another woman said “surprisingly all pumps in town (C&B Saleufi, Toleafoa Savalalo, and Lotopa, Maluafou) were closed before 7:30 pm. I’m sure these aren’t the only ones, yet some people were genuinely low on fuel like me.”
On the first of each month, gas stations are given the new prices by the Government on the prices of petrol.
Today the Government issued the new prices and it has increased.
In the meantime, Minister of Finance, Mulipola Anarosa Ale-Molioo advised the changes in the retail petroleum for the month of June.
This was confirmed in a statement issued by the Government today.
“The Minister announced the increase in the retail prices for petrol by 39.98 sene per liter from $3.34 to $3.74; diesel also increased by 68.71 per liter from $2.87 to $3.53.
“The impact of the Ukraine/Russia war has resulted in further significant global increases in crude oil and product prices as concerns grow regarding the continuity of supply of crude oil.
“This is an external shock that no country is immune to the impact these increases are having on their economies, this includes Pacific Island Countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji.”
