Ahead of the July 1 implementation of a new fuel tax that is to replace the road tax, Barbadians rushed out to the gas stations in droves on Saturday night trying to beat the expected increase in prices.
Up to late this evening, long lines were still visible at gas stations across the island as motorists made an eleventh hour dash to the pumps.

The fuel tax will be levied at a rate of 40 cents per litre of petrol, 40 cents per litre of diesel and five cents per litre of kerosene.
This represents a net increase on gas and diesel of 28 cents per litre.

Government expects the new tax to raise $80 million, up from the $65 million earned from road taxes.
LOL. The gas/diesel won’t last forever.
Sheron – It will still allow them to save some money.
We always talk about the poor and the vulnerable but the middle class is always the ones who get hit
At least in the interim the middle class will feel it when you have to put in $60 in gas to get the same that you were getting for $50
Poor people don’t have cars and the rich can afford it
Just the beginning, let’s not cry, we voted.
You could dance, wukup, and sing with the BLP/IMF,
there was no such thing with the DLP austerity, somehow their tunes were different.
Severe pain is much better than some pain. Everybody happy cause “we got this”.
I hope all members of this BLP administration attend church today because they are responsible for taking Barbados through hell’s gates from this day forth. Their plans were designed long before general elections, and so was the PR crafted.
A picture is worth a thousand words
Barbadians in long lines scrambling to save a dime .
I bet none of the blp ministers was in any of those lines
Reminds me of the people living under dictatorships having to stand on long lines for food and other necessities because of govt policies
REMNANTS of the DEMOCRATIC LABOR PARTY and those yard fowls ,pimps and paling cocks above telling DEM selves that it is the work of the BLP.
Wunna got choices on how to REDUCE the consumption of gasoline.
When a well known DLP Political Economic DUNCE said that the same GAS PRODUCTS would INCREASE HERE when there is a DROP in INTERNATIONAL PRICES…wunna SAME YARD FOWLS,PIMPS and PALING COCKS said it was NECESSARY then,and wunna did skinning wunna teet all the way to the PUMPS.
People like wunna shoulda get LOCK JAW then.
Wuh choices? and dont talk about public transportation cause wunna blp yardfowls criticize that service day and night saying it was poor and need to be privatize. So moron what choices are yu talking about.Time for the blp yardfowls to get a reality check because everything gonna get bitter
People with the entitlement mentality are at it again.
Let me remind all you neophytes, it is not business as usual anymore. Policies are in place to address the rot that was ruining Barbados.
For years hundreds of dishonest people were driving their vehicles on the roads of Barbados without paying the appropriate tax.
To all you dishonest folks, we got this.
@Donild Trimp – we need to get those slippery big dishonest entitlement ones too.
@Sheron – so true, but I was one of them in that lot. Nearly 200 dollars fill to last me 3-4 weeks, savings of about 30 dollars. The Indians were out in numbers too, so that should say something, mind u that lot carpool a lot.
@ JENNIFER – “we need to get those slippery big dishonest entitlement ones too”.
Impossible to disagree with that statement and as everyone knows, I have been calling on the DLP Government from way back to do something about it without any success.
Millions and millions of tax dollars owed to the Barbados Treasury by the private sector who openly and blatantly refused to pay up and a former Minister in the DLP Government appearing as guest on a popular Barbados radio call in program and publicly stating there is nothing his Government would be able to do about it.
What a joke!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am hoping all these millions can be collected by this newly elected Government.
come on now stop pointing fingers .you know what amazed me .SHERON I . your so right long lines as far as your eyes can see . a tank full of gas is only good for a week give or take may be a couple extra days . but in the end when u have to full up .that’s when your pocket will get hit up for a whole lot of cash .there’s a old saying u can run but you can’t hide. you will have to face the music in the end.@ the north pole the gas prices go’s up and down when it’s up I just put in enough until it comes back down then I will fill up.
Pain, payne go away, come again never.
Docor Booby cough surup starting to disrupt the intestines, causing a bowel movement.
What choices?..ya FIDIOT….walk,run,catch a ZR or a Transport Board Bus…pay a TAXI MORE MONEY just to to prove your point..or stop home from work more often…stop wasting gasoline running after the women,,,stop scoping when de night come like ya fellow YARD PIMP MARK MY WORD in places like PINFOLD STREET and BUSH HILL.
The BLP did SUBSIDIZING PETROLEUM PRODUCTS prior to 2008 and up came an ECONOMIC NOTHINGARIAN and said Bajans would have to pay more for Petroleum Products WHEN PRICES FALL ON THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET and people like you did SKINNING ya TEET ALL the way to the pump BECAUSE it came from LYING DEM…now YOU grumbling all the way to the pump AND STILL GOT TO PAY
To raise $80,000,000.00 from this fuel tax.
So you would take $80,000,000.00 / $0.40 to
=. 200,000,000 liters of gasoline to be sold.
So 200,000,000.00 liters / 3.786 = 52,826,201.80 gallons of gasoline to be sold.
So divide by 365 for gallons per day in a year.
So 52,826,201.80gallons / 365 days = 144,729.32 gallons of gasoline to be sold per day to make the $80,000,000.00 in a year.
This is only for gasoline.
It seems to be very possible maybe this may even generate more revenue than expected.??
This doesn’t include watercraft,construction equipment,generators,all kinds of gardening & maintenance tools etcetera.
Seems like a small price to pay.
It sure is far better than the corruption,devaluation & starvation faced in some of the African & Eastern European countries.