Fuel prices continue to escalate, and the latest hike came like a thief in the night on Sunday, when prices at gas stations around Belize pushed past the 8-dollar mark.
At the stroke of midnight, the price gauges rolled to $8.61 a gallon for premium gasoline, $8.31 for regular gas, $6.61 for diesel, and $5.05 for kerosene. Those are Belize City prices, and in the districts, a further cost is added for distribution.
The increase represents a 96-cent jump on a gallon of premium and a 51-cent jump on a gallon of regular gas.
Since April 1, pump prices have included an additional $1.00 flat tax. Back then, a gallon of regular gas was costing consumers $5.66; today it is $2.65 more expensive.
In speaking of the implementation of the tax at the time the new budget was presented, Prime Minister/Minister of Finance Dean Barrow said that, “If for any reason these turn out to be significantly higher than the experts predict, it is my promise that we would then come back and take off as much of this dollar increase as would put things back in alignment for the Belizean people.”
In April, he told the media that the government would have to start putting on their thinking caps when prices go beyond $8.00.
Prices have now moved past that $8 benchmark.
Prime Minister Barrow told Amandala this evening, “I’m reconsidering.” He said that he meets with his technical team in the Ministry of Finance Wednesday, and they will discuss the matter.