14529: sanba: Re:14526: Durban on 14509: Lyall on gaz (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: sanba@juno.com

I partcularly love your reasoning on this one, even though I previously seemed rejecting the idea that the government had no business subziding the fuel in the first place. I noticed then an inconsistency in that the argument was refuting the idea of government's interference with the fuel price while agreeing with the same principle when it comes to the airline industry. The context of the two arguments makes the difference in my approach.

You newly wrote:
[They should simply charge an import duty and then let the 4 big
importers compete.  If it appeared that oligopolistic price
fixing was occurring, I'll bet some other "gros neg" would soon
see the profit potential and bring the product in.  If not, the
Haitian gov't could set up a fifth company with (say) 6 big
stations strategically located around, setting retail prices at
a "fair" level after paying the proper import duty to itself.]

I suggest that everybody on the list pay attention to what you say and debate it.

As to my preferred alternative, it goes at odds with the globalization principles in effect. The fifth company you are suggesting would not stand long unless the government showed resolve and confronted the pressure it would be subjeted to towards selling its investment to the private sector.

At any rate I think it's an avenue to seriously consider.