WILLEMSTAD - The government is proposing to temporarily reduce fuel prices by 24 cents per liter until December 31 this year. Two of the more than ten components that make up the price of a liter of fuel are being cut. The excise duties on gas prices will be reduced by 25 percent from 41 to 30 cents. In addition, the sales tax for wholesalers (6 percent) will be eliminated; a consumer benefit of an additional 13 cents.
The proposal is favorable for the consumer, but less so for the country, which is missing out on more than 26 million guilders. This is compensated by a higher tax collection, as explained earlier by the government.
The parliamentary meeting on this proposal to lower fuel prices as of mid-May was postponed due to a conflict between the coalition partners MFK and PNP. The coalition MPs all abandoned the parliament hall. Minister of Finance Javier Silvania now announced that this meeting will continue Thursday May 12. The minister stresses that this does not mean that it is no longer feasible to let the reduced fuel prices come into effect on May 13.
According to Silvania, if parliament approves the proposal, the notification can be published on the same day, so that the reduction in gas prices will come into effect on 13 May. “So it is up to parliament. I did what I could to give the people of Curaçao some relief,” says Silvania. On 14 April, after the first round of questions, the minister asked for a week to answer the questions. But it became a month later, on May 12.
During the parliament meeting in April, Silvania made an urgent appeal to MPs to agree to the proposal laid down in the 'temporary migration fuel prices notice', so that it can come into effect on May 13.