PSV blow

Route taxi and minibus operators are gearing up for a rough financial ride after Government informed them of its intention to remove a fuel subsidy from April 1.
President of the Association of Private Transport Operators (APTO), Morris Lee, confirmed yesterday he had just received correspondence from the Ministry of Energy notifying them that the rebate on fuel, offered after the Democratic Labour Party came to power in 2008, was being cancelled effective from the first day of the new financial year.
What has them concerned, Lee explained, was that what is commonly referred to as the rebate on fuel for the public service vehicle operators was really two concessions – an eight cents per litre rebate and a 20 cents per litre waiver on excise tax.
“The point is,” he said, “that the letter made no mention of the excise tax, and when I called the author of the letter I was unable to get a clear picture of what is taking place from April 1.”
However, Lee expressed some fear about the future of the excise tax waiver since even if Government did not withdraw it, it was only available at the fuel pump at the Transport Board and it appeared that service was about to be discontinued.