http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2009/4/5/business/20090405072732&sec=business
Who would have thought that there was still a place in this World where gasoline is actually cheaper than water? At a mere 3 cents a litre , gasoline in Venezuela is 30 times cheaper than water! This has been possible all this years because of the high oil income Venezuela gets which allows them to subsidise their citizen’s gasoline usage. Another interesting thing about this country is that the government is afraid to raise the prices because they fear the repeat of history where 300 people died in riot over an increase in energy prices. However , with the global economic crisis we are facing now , the government of Venezuela is finding it hard to maintain the subsidies.
The income thru oil which has kept the subsidies going are now dropping causing the government to consider raising the prices. The citizens of course are not too happy with this. Fact is , we humans dislike change or getting out of our comfort zone. Nonetheless , I believe that Venezuelans should understand the predicament their government is in and not make it harder for them. Paying 3 cents for all this years is already a blessing from my point of view. In addition to that , the low prices causes a lot of exploitation by the middle and upper classes. I would agree with the government that they should increase the gas prices. Nevertheless , they should not neglect the lower class groups and find other means of assisting them instead.
Who would have thought that there was still a place in this World where gasoline is actually cheaper than water? At a mere 3 cents a litre , gasoline in Venezuela is 30 times cheaper than water! This has been possible all this years because of the high oil income Venezuela gets which allows them to subsidise their citizen’s gasoline usage. Another interesting thing about this country is that the government is afraid to raise the prices because they fear the repeat of history where 300 people died in riot over an increase in energy prices. However , with the global economic crisis we are facing now , the government of Venezuela is finding it hard to maintain the subsidies.
The income thru oil which has kept the subsidies going are now dropping causing the government to consider raising the prices. The citizens of course are not too happy with this. Fact is , we humans dislike change or getting out of our comfort zone. Nonetheless , I believe that Venezuelans should understand the predicament their government is in and not make it harder for them. Paying 3 cents for all this years is already a blessing from my point of view. In addition to that , the low prices causes a lot of exploitation by the middle and upper classes. I would agree with the government that they should increase the gas prices. Nevertheless , they should not neglect the lower class groups and find other means of assisting them instead.
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