Lao government urges against unnecessary travel to save fuel

People in Laos line up to buy petrol (Photo: AFP)

Vientiane (VNA) – The Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Lao Fuel and Gas Association are urging people to be frugal in their use of fuel and not to travel unnecessarily.

The call is to ensure that enough reserves of petrol are available for use for farming and other essential activities.

Some farmers have complained that they are unable to cultivate their crops because of the petrol shortage and called on the relevant parties to take speedy action to tackle the crisis.

Khammuan is one of the many provinces suffering from a lack of fuel, and pumps at some petrol stations have run dry, meaning that many motorists are unable to use their vehicles.

The National Assembly of Laos has passed a resolution to reduce the excise tax on fuels in order to attempt to avert a fuel crisis in the country, reports Laotian Times.

Excise tax on diesel fuels will be reduced from 21 percent to 11 percent, while that on gasoline will see a drop from 31 percent to 16 percent.

The reduction of excise tax for fuels is a temporary measure that will remain in place for three months, and could be repealed should the global situation change./.