14357: Lyall on fuel prices (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: J.David <david@lyalls.net>

I have long thought the fuel price situation was strange and
inappropriate for a country
in hayti's situation.

Last summer when there were 25 gourdes to the dollar regular gas was 46
gou per gallon
and diesel 30 gou. Now there are close to 40 gourdes to the dollar(maybe
more? been away
for three weeks) the price remains the same. That makes diesel about 75
usa cents.

Rather than subsidising fuel that money should be spent on schools and
road building
and repair.

Kerosene should have been cheaper than it was all along, and should be
reduced in price
now. Kero is a daily need, while vehicle fuel is an occasional need for
the majority of folks.

The whole arrangement of the government buying petroleum then passing it
along to the
wholesalers with a fixed margin is a strange statist remnant, probably
from Duvalierism?
Once it was designed to make a profit for the government, in lieu of
taxes. Once it starts
diverting money from social needs it becomes very counter productive.