Time to wise up to the fuel con

IT IS TIME South African motorists wised up to the con that the frequent increases in the price of our fuel are due to the rise in international oil prices and the weak rand.

This is certainly not the case. The price of petrol is governed by fuel levies.

In June, the country will be paying 29 cents a litre more in taxes for petrol. More specifically, motorists will be coughing up R5.63 in taxes alone on every litre of petrol.

This is simply scandalous and doesn’t factor-in upcoming fuel price increases.

While the motorist has long been a go-to cash cow for the government, it overlooks the catastrophic knock-on effect that it has on the poor in everything from food to taxi fares.

In a country such as South Africa, with its unequal, apartheid-legacy spatial development and long distances for the economically disadvantaged to travel it’s, well, sinful – never mind the high unemployment rate.

As for the fuel taxes, the general fuel levy will be increased by 15c a litre for petrol from April 3 and the Road Accident Fund levy will go up by 5c a litre, also from April 3.

From June 5, there will be a new carbon tax of 9c a litre for petrol.

The price of petrol to the consumer is craftily manipulated by selling dummies to the public by token reduction in the price of petrol for a few months.

It is then hiked by unacceptable percentages in a month or so, thereby wiping off any benefits that might have accrued to the consumer. JAYRAJ BACHU Clare Estate