SA NATIONAL CONSUMERS UNION

Press Release

The South African National Consumer Union reports that the current pressures on motorists, and road users is becoming intolerable.

• Firstly the Fuel Price is unabated in its upward momentum over R10 per litre for Unleaded Fuel (93 and 95), and yet the relevant Ministries are reluctant to pass on the benefits of the 2007 Windfall Tax to consumers – capital plus up to R1,50 discount per litre eligible for Gauteng and Mpumalanga consumers.
• The second threat is the introduction of outrageous Recycling Levies on Tyres (new, used, reconditioned, imported or local) – hardly any attention has been paid to the real cost of delivery of this new ‘service’ – up to R150 per set of 4 tyres from Friday
• Finally the etolling saga has not passed away – whilst SANCU petitioned directly and indirectly about the terms and conditions and administrative costs surrounding the SANRAL contracts, Gauteng consumers in particular remain super critical about this new taxation on a road system that should be covered in the first instance by the fuel levy, but could be easily covered in any case by the differential between South Africa producer price of liquid fuels, as opposed to imported fuels – The current SANRAL/TREASURY proposal can cost up to R550 per month for some consumers

In fact as the Mossgas project rolls out South Africa’s reliance on imported ‘barrels of oil’ should lessen and the price for coastal consumers can be reviewed

Gauteng and Mpumalanga consumers in particular are advised to continue supporting the efforts of OUTA – Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (see www.outa.co.za), and notify their Parliamentary representatives of their difficulties to keep funding more and more extraneous ‘road user’ costs that have no substance to reality.