ISLANDERS are being encouraged to back a petition calling for a reduction in fuel duty so that it can be debated by the new States later this year.
The petition, which was launched by ATF Fuels director Jonathan Best and calls for an ‘immediate’ fuel-duty cut of 2.5p per litre, has received 4,791 signatures at the time of writing.
If it reaches 5,000, it will be considered for debate in the States Assembly.
The previous Council of Ministers responded to the petition after it passed 1,000 signatures earlier this year, stating they were ‘not convinced’ the proposed fuel duty cuts would help alleviate the rising cost of living – and instead argued that an increase in ‘targeted interventions’ would be more effective at reducing the impact of growing costs on lower-income households.
Following the election of the new Council of Ministers, Mr Best said: ‘We understand there has been a commitment made by the new government to produce a mini budget [to tackle the cost of living] and we hope to see fuel duty addressed within that, but if we reach 5,000 signatures we can ensure that it is debated.’
The next States sitting is scheduled for Tuesday 13 September.
Mr Best added: ‘We are hopeful that with the new government there is the potential for new ideas and that a different stance might be taken.’
He also said that a recent drop in wholesale fuel prices had enabled the company to pass on a minor reduction in costs at the pump – but that it was difficult to predict if the trend would continue.
The petition can be found on the gov.je website.
