Political parties are criticising the government over the fuel levy and are calling for it to be scrapped. Photo: DA
Political parties increase calls for fuel levy to be scrapped: ‘We’re in a crisis’
Political parties are disavowing the general fuel levy, with the DA saying it has seen huge support for its petition against the petrol hike.
Political parties are criticising the government over the fuel levy and are calling for it to be scrapped. Photo: DA
The Freedom Front (FF) Plus is joining the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and other political parties in denouncing the fuel levy.
The energy department implemented its latest fuel increase at midnight on Tuesday, 1 June. As a result, SA motorists will fork out R2.43 for a litre of fuel and over R1 a litre for diesel. In the case of a litre of illuminating paraffin, households found little consolation as it shot up by R1.56.
Parties fed up with ‘non-caring’ ANC
On Tuesday, the DA submitted its petition opposing the general fuel levy to the finance and mineral resources and energy ministers.
In the submission to Enoch Godongwana and Gwede Mantashe, the party demands a notable reduction in the fuel price. DA shadow energy minister Kevin Mileham said more than 130 000 South Africans co-signed the petition.
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“It’s no surprise that this letter is one of the fastest growing petitions in the history of the DA. Only the petition against Jacob Zuma eclipses it. [The signatories] realise that the economy is in a dire state.
“Millions of people live in poverty, millions are unemployed, and multitudes of children are starving. Our party, therefore, proposes the deregulation of the fuel sector. Doing so will encourage competition in the wholesale and retail fuel sectors.”
DA shadow minister Kevin Mileham
Crisis of economic decline and corruption
FF Plus Northern Cape leader Wynand Boshoff also suggested how the government should deal with the record-high prices. Boshoff said that economic recovery is only possible if the government does away with the tax levy.
“The climbing crude oil prices and the weakening rand are the reasons for the price hikes. These are factors that South Africa has no direct control over. However, it is still a crisis within a crisis of economic decline and corruption, which the government has control over.”
FF Plus provincial leader Wynand Boshoff
Meanwhile, EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys needed no second invitation to slam the government. She called the African National Congress (ANC) a non-caring political party.
“The ANC government has no interest in improving the lives of ordinary South Africans. They have no appreciation for the daily struggle that we face every single day. The ANC have no plan to improve the economy and is hellbent on its neo-liberal economic planning.”
EFF spokesperson Leigh-Ann Mathys
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