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Gasoline Up This Morning
Did you fill up yesterday? If
not, today, it will cost you
˘180 colones (us$0.38) more to
fill up a 45 litre tank with
super gasoline.
Line ups at the most of the
gasoline stations were long as
customers filled their tanks
before getting home, as gasoline
prices took the fourth hike for
this year, with ˘4 colones on a
litre of super, ˘3 colones on a
litre of regular and ˘2 colones
on a litre of diesel.
The current price for a litre of
gasoline at the pumps is: ˘424
colones (us$0.90) for super;
˘405 colones (us$0.86) for
regular; and, ˘305 colones
(us$0.65) for diesel.
The latest price hike is an
increase in the tax imposed on
gasoline, which was necessary
due to the last three hikes
since January of this year.
Many drivers are fuming at this
hike, since it is an addition of
the taxes that are paid in tough
economic times.
Government officials have said
that the increase in revenue
will go directly to paying
salaries, pensions and reducing
the public debt.
The high price of gasoline has
prompted the large unions to
call for a protest march this
coming Monday, May 16.
Originally the protest was to
bring attention to the free
trade agreement (TLC) with the
United States, however, union
leaders quickly changed their
tune when gasoline prices saw
two increases in the less than
three weeks.
For their part, the Movimiento
Libertario party headed by
Federico Malavassi, is urging
the Ministerio de Hacienda
(Revenue Ministry) to use the
increase in taxes to repair the
roads, which in some areas are
from bad to worse.
"The money (from taxes) is
staying at Hacienda and is not
used for the purpose it was
created: to repair the roads",
were the words of Malvassi.
Drivers still have to swerve to
avoid the potholes.
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