The public should not pay any increases in mini-bus fares since the price of gasoline is below $1000 per gallon, Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Manniram Prashad says.

The Government Information Agency (GINA) in a press release yesterday quoted the minister as stating that following a series of meetings last week with the General Mini-Bus Association and the Guyana Public and Transportation Association, it was agreed that once the price of gasoline remains below the $1000 per gallon, there would be no price increases. The meetings were to discuss the proposed price increase of 25%.

GINA said that to ensure that there would be no price increases; over the last 18 months government has been putting measures in place to absorb the price increase for gasoline. “We have now zero-rated diesel…the excise tax on gasoline has come down to 17 percent”, the release quoted him as commenting at a press briefing yesterday. The release stated that the price of gasoline has remained below $1000 and mini-bus owners, who have increased their rates of transportation, have been asked to appreciate government’s efforts to keep the price of gasoline down. …..