Gas Gone Up

Barbadians are feeling the pinch at the pump, and the main opposition spokesperson on energy, Senator Ryan Walters, is calling out Minister Ryan Straughn, and the Ministry of Finance over it. Walters contends that the government is being unfair to citizens by maintaining high gas prices, even though international oil prices have decreased. He points out a historical disconnect: traditionally, when global oil prices fell, so did local pump prices, but this hasn’t been the case for the past year and a half. Walters believes the government is using fuel taxes as a way to recover money for other cost-of-living initiatives. While Minister Straughn acknowledges global market “turbulence” and the challenge of getting affordable gas into the country.
Minister Ryan Straughn said that despite, globally, there may be some decline, they’ve seen a lot of turbulence within the international trade market in the last few months. He government is working on getting gas into the country at an affordable rate. The opposition argues this doesn’t justify the burden on Barbadian consumers already struggling with a high cost of living.