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Keep oil out of politics

Retail oil prices have gone up again, but this time no political party is pressing the government to reduce oil taxes. This is fortunate because we don't want the issue politicised.

The new price rise is caused by two things: Opec's decision to reduce crude production, and growing consumption in America and Europe during the winter months.

We agree with scholars who oppose a tax reduction. This would hurt government revenue and encourage extravagant consumption. It also is unfair to subsidise oil prices because this benefits only a few. It is better to encourage people to use oil wisely.

The country spends about 500 billion baht a year on oil imports. This is more than we earn from farm exports. In 1997, the country exported 480 billion baht worth of farm products.

There is unlikely to be any major setback in the export sector.The cost of production goes up as oil becomes more expensive, but foreign manufacturers who are our competitors also have to pay more for oil. We should not fear our goods becoming more expensive than those of our competitors.

However, poor people who use oil in their daily lives will bear the brunt of the price rise. The government must help these people through a relief programme until Opec increases its output again. The needy are the ones who really need help. Meanwhile, let's keep oil out of politics. It benefits no one.

) Copyright The Post Publishing Public Co., Ltd. 2000

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-- Dee (T1colt556@aol.com), February 04, 2000

Answers

Dee,
It's sad, they must have been educated here in the US.
How can they "help these people through a relief programme" without needing to "subsidise oil prices because this benefits only a few"?

-- Possible Impact (posim@hotmail.com), February 04, 2000.

If they were educated here, I am sure they also learned how to invent money on a printing press or computer chip.

-- Kyle (fordtbonly@aol.com), February 04, 2000.

I wonder, who exactly, are the poor who are so dependent upon oil? Thailand does not have a lot of cold weather...so the dependency is not on heating...and since the poor in Thailand probably cannot afford automobiles, transportation is also out...

Methinks that the point is moot.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), February 05, 2000.