Bahamians in New Providence on Tuesday weighed in on the present propane gas situation, which has allowed one retailer the freedom to control the industry.
While some individuals The Guardian canvassed agreed that a price increase was necessary, many said the hike would be too much, but others were totally against any hike in the price of cooking gas.
All agreed, however, that the situation is one that merits careful examination by The Bahamas Government before they rule in favour of retailers or against their proposals.
Propane gas retailers – Bahamas Gas, Central Gas, Island Gas, Moss Gas, Nassau Gas, and Tropi Gas – banded together and shut down their businesses at Friday midnight.
By Saturday, Nassau Gas broke the alliance and opened its establishment, leaving only five of the six retailers resolute in their stance.
The retailers contend that the price of cooking gas has not been adjusted in nearly 10 years, and despite the rising cost of living and market fluctuations, their price of $50 per 100-lb cylinder regulated by Price Control, is a fixed amount. They are lobbying to have a price jump to $72.
“I guess it’s something that the government has to look at very closely,” said Linda Francis, “because I would think in 10 years the price of everything would have gone up, so it would only be fair to say that they (retailers) would have had increased costs.
“So I think after 10 years that’s sufficient time for them to go up on the price and the government to give them approval for that.”
Francis opined that the present situation with only one retailer operating was not favourable because “a monopoly on anything isn’t good.”
For Sharon Forbes, a price increase was also necessary.
She said, “I mean what’s the point in being in business if you are not making a profit, and you can’t make a profit if you can’t up your value in 10 years.”
“You have to have a vision to go somewhere, and in any business you’re trying to make money; that’s the first goal of a business so if you can’t make money what’s the sense of being in business?” she said.
A male government employee who wished to remain anonymous expressed that the price request was totally unreasonable.
“I feel a 44 percent increase is totally ridiculous,” he said.
He said consumers are faced with too many price hikes already, particularly gasoline, which “is snowballed into all of the other increases that we have to deal with. And then when you look at what people are getting in salary increases of some 3-5 percent which does not go very far.
“If anything, I think they should try to curtail their demand more to what the consumer can afford,” he said. “A 5-10 percent increase in most cases is considered reasonable but with most of them closing down and allowing one company to run, you may have an monopoly and you pay much more than what we paying today.”
Tilshiloh “Fireman” Oliver told The Guardian the government needed to carefully examine wages of the average employee when making their decision.
“I feel the average person make $250 a week and the government need (to know) they could not afford this but the big companies could,” he said.
“I have no problem with the people running the gas company increasing it, but they should increase it for all those to afford it,” said Oliver.
Mildred Johnson disagreed entirely with the notion of a gas hike, stating that the less fortunate and pensioners would feel the real pinch , making it particularly unfair.
“I thought that if they really wanted an increase they should have looked for something that would have been progressive – like small increases over the years but I think that’s a rather steep increase they’re asking for,” she said.
Portia Barnett was also against a price jump of any kind.
“I think that $72 is very, very expensive but I’m happy that I got my gas two months ago, and I probably won’t need gas until next year May,” she said.
Lorenzo Brice told The Guardian, “Government has raised taxes consistently across the board, so the Bahamian people could use a little break.”
Mr Brice empathised with the retailers, stating that a 20 percent increase could be understandable “but over 40 percent increase is too much, and they should reconsider the government’s offer of $65 and take their time.”
LaKeisha McSweeney, The Nassau Guardian
