Price of petrol soars by 10% to reach Rs55.75 a litre

Motorists in Mauritius will be paying more to fill up the tank as from Wednesday 29 December.

The Petroleum Pricing Committee has reportedly declared a 10% increase in the price per litre of gasoline effective on Tuesday at midnight.

So, the new price of gasoline soared from Rs50.70 per litre to Rs55.75 per litre.

The price of diesel also went up: from Rs37.30 per litre to Rs41.00 per litre.

The increases are said to be in line with the international selling price of petrol.

Jayen Chellum, secretary general of the Mauritius Consumers Association, described the hike as “scandalous”, “daylight robbery” and a “violent blow to the population just days before the end of the year.”

Opposition Leader Xavier Duval described the hike as the result of politics “based on waste, incompetence and nepotism” and “economic policies based on the devaluation of the rupee.”

Defi Media cited Duval as claiming that gasoline is imported at Rs 25 per litre “Why then a tax of Rs 26 on each litre, representing Rs117 in taxes per gallon of gasoline?”