Thursday, the new Minister of Economy and Finance, Wilson Laleau, said that the government accepted the principle of a limited price reduction, but that it could not go too far. Recalling that the decline in oil prices in the international market was a temporary situation and that the Haitian government must compensate the losses caused by the fuel subsidy amounting to several billion gourdes annually. The economist Kesner Pharel, President of the Groupe Croissance, stressed that any revision of fuel prices precipitously, could have adverse consequences on the functioning of public administration.

The President of the Association of Owners and Drivers of Haiti (APCH) Mehu Changeux confirming having met the Minister Laleau, informs that the strike scheduled for February 2 and 3 at the end of 8 days Ultimatum https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13016-haiti-economy-the-apch-issued-an-ultimatum-to-the-government.html which expires this Friday, is maintained, if the two parties do not reach a compromise on Friday. Compromise highly unlikely the APCH demanding unrealistic reductions from 25 to 100 gourdes [!]

For his part, Montès Joseph, General Coordinator of the National Front of Haitians Unions (FNSH) announces to have found an agreement with the Minister Laleau around the lower prices of petroleum products. Under this agreement, a gallon of gasoline that sells for 215 gourdes expected to fall by 15 gourdes to 200 gourdes, diesel (gazoil) would also fall by 15 gourdes from 177 to 162 gourdes and the kerosene would drop of 10 gourdes from 171 gourdes to 161 gourdes. According to Joseph, the agreement should be signed in the coming days. He deplored the hasty decision, of several transport unions to announce a strike in public transport.

This tariff reductions, if confirmed, would bring the cost of fuel in Haiti at a level closer to that practiced in our Dominican neighbors : Price per gallon in the Dominican Republic (23 January 2015) Gasolina Premium, 197 pesos; Gasolina Regular: 174.10 pesos; Diesel Premium: 163.00 pesos; Diesel Regular: 154.90 pesos and Kerosene: 138.70 pesos.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13048-haiti-economythe-minister-laleau-dialogue-with-transport-unionists.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-13016-haiti-economy-the-apch-issued-an-ultimatum-to-the-government.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-12246-haiti-notice-increased-tariffs-for-transports-tap-tap-and-taxis.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-12238-haiti-notice-painful-increases-in-fuel-prices.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/augmentation-transport-10-10-2014.pdf

HL/ HaitiLibre