Skelton Cline pushes for fuel price oversight in BVI

Political commentator Claude Skelton Cline has urged the BVI government to establish controls over how petrol stations set their prices, arguing that retailers are exploiting price swings to charge more for fuel they already own.

The issue, Skelton Cline explained on his Honestly Speaking programme last week, is that station operators increase pump prices the moment wholesale costs rise, even though they still have cheaper fuel sitting in their tanks. He questioned why prices shift daily and said the practice unfairly burdens consumers.

Skelton Cline noted that regular petrol costs $5.15 in the BVI but $5.25 in St Thomas, and he challenged authorities to implement a system that tracks fuel deliveries and checks whether price hikes match the actual fuel being sold. "There should be regulations in place," he said.

He pointed to the US Virgin Islands as a model, where he said officials monitor the timing, date and quantity of fuel shipments arriving at retail sites. That oversight, he argued, prevents customers from losing out when retailers blend newly purchased stock with older, cheaper supplies yet charge premium prices across the board.

Skelton Cline also blamed the government for failing to establish a Trade Commission, saying the administration allowed the then deputy premier to dissolve it before it could operate. He called for a Trade Commission with authority over competition and consumer protection matters.

Earlier this year, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley set up a technical working group tasked with tracking prices throughout the territory, including fuel. The Premier said the group had completed a report examining the economic impact of the Iran conflict and was developing tougher consumer safeguards to prevent price gouging in emergencies.