Former legislator and Attorney Myron Walwyn is calling for Government to intervene as it pertains to the variation of fuel charges in the Virgin Islands.
Walwyns sentiments were made via a Facebook post which post read, “The issue of the fuel variation charge is one that needs immediate attention by the government. As a matter of fact, a proper plan to address and monitor this issue that we knew would have been a problem should have been in place a long time ago.”
Better use of Government revenue
Walwyn suggested that Government revenue would have been better allocated in this area saying, “It would have been a much better use of government revenue if the Customs Duty breaks that were given on food, luxury items and other things were directed to the fuel variation charge on the electrical bills. It would have been a much greater help to businesses and to households if this was done. I am not sure if anyone felt the reduction in food costs by those duty breaks. As a matter of fact, the food prices seemed to have gone higher during the period and the government by their own admission had no mechanism in place to monitor the concessions given.”
He further said, “It might be wise to look at what other countries have done to alleviate some of the burden on businesses and households. Also bear in mind that many businesses are still dealing with the side effects of Irma and Maria and the Covid 19 pandemic. If this fuel variation issue is left unabated it will drastically affect the local economy. The Nevis government has agreed to give a monthly subvention to their Electricity Corporation so that the fuel variation charge could be capped at an agreed amount for businesses and households. This is a common sense approach that we could adopt. A lot of the problems in this country could be addressed if our leaders could just humble themselves and seek advice from people who have knowledge on the subject matters or at least have the good common sense to see how other countries handled the very same issues.”