Local petrol station proprietor Ron Carrison has taken the unusual step of handing out leaflets to all customers as a protest at the way the Federal Government is treating everyday Australians.
Carrison is bemused the government continues to promise that it will bring the cost of living down, but recently (August 5) introduced an increase in the fuel excise to 50.6 cents a litre, on both petrol and diesel vehicles.
The rate was originally 48.8 cents a litre but was increased to 49.6 cents per litre on February 5.
The Federal Government also pocket another 18 cents per litre for goods and services tax.
“I think it’s extraordinary that the government takes 68.6 cents of every litre of fuel I sell, and they do zero work for it,” Mr Carrison said.
Carrison continues to be one of the cheapest fuel outlets in the Victoria, preferring to run his business at lower margins and service his regular clientele.
“It frustrates me that customers think we are making huge money selling fuel, when we usually operate in the six to nine cents region, with the Federal Government pocketing the big slice of the pie,” Mr Carrison said.
With more than 21 million cars in Australia, it’s a tax that few people can avoid.
Carrison has been a constant in the fuel industry in Bairnsdale since 1975 and currently operates two petrol stations in Bairnsdale and another in Orbost.
The Carrison Group also runs a wholesale business which sees them go as far as Benambra, Marlo and Maffra, and numerous places in between.
