The expensive life is in the headlines this Wednesday. After a mobilization on the roads early this morning, wheelers, taxis, farmers and even unions gathered in front of the government at the end of the morning at the call of the Citizens’ Association of New Caledonia. In response, the executive notably proposed to lower oil taxation.
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After a snail operation on the expressway from the North and South this morning, the honking of the riders continues, route des Artifices, in Nouméa. According to the organizers, nearly a thousand people are gathered in the parking lot of the Moselle, opposite the government. From paramedics to taxis in the capital, including farmers, wheelers and even a few unions, all came to lend a hand to the members of the Citizens’ Association of New Caledonia to show their fed up with the inflation.
On the occasion of the demonstration against the high cost of living, several banners were displayed today in the parking lot of the Moselle.
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In all, 14 corporations, all affected by the fuel price hike, came to demand a meeting with the government. » What worries us is that we have tabled measures since March 31 and that today they have still not been looked at. The government told us to come back. So we come back… a little in force. I hope that we will move forward on the file, because prices have to come down and for that, the government must take all the measures it can take. We know full well that it will not solve everything and that the crisis is global »explained this morning Florent Perrin, president of the Citizens’ Association of New Caledonia.
Because for Chantal N’Gadiman, vice-president of the passenger road transport associations, there is urgency: « We have a whole range of services that we offer to the population. But there, our working tool is impacted by the rise in diesel and gasoline. With the full tank of my vehicle going from 5800 f to 9000 f, how can my business be viable? We joined the collective because we wonder how we are going to finish our end of the month and pay our employees.«
A delegation was received by the executive in the afternoon. But disappointed by the negotiations with President Mapou, the demonstrators assure that they will remain mobilized while waiting for their next meeting, scheduled for Thursday at 3 p.m. « They have advanced some measures on fuel. But that is not enough. The average citizen and businesses are in great difficulty at the moment“, poses Henri Bastien, president of the group of private ambulance drivers, who participated in the meeting of the day.
Meeting in collegiality this morning, the government presented this afternoon a first measure to counter the high cost of living: a modulation of taxes on petroleum products in order to lower the price of diesel, then that of gasoline.
If it’s usuallyhe Congress, which is responsible for setting these taxes, the government asks that it temporarily delegate the power to it so that it can act monthly on prices at the pump. The objective would be, initially, to reduce by about half the taxes on diesel for the month of June, then, thereafter, motor gasoline as well.
But for now nothing has been done, since this project must first be adopted by Congress. More information here.
The report by Loreleï Aubry and Cédric Michaut