23 May 2019

Auckland petrol prices low despite regional fuel tax

From Morning Report, 6:38 am on 23 May 2019

It's been nearly a year since Auckland introduced an 11.5 cents a litre Regional Fuel Tax, but it appears the city's motorists are still paying less at the pumps than many other parts of the country. The average price of fuel is higher in all regions of the South Island, and it's been more expensive in Wellington and much of Northland this week. The petrol price watchdog Gaspy says it doesn't make sense that fuel stations in regions without an additional tax are still more expensive than Auckland. Spokesperson Larry Green told RNZ reporter Matthew Theunissen it's an opportunistic market out there. The government has directed the Commerce Commission to carry out a petrol pricing investigation, which is expected to be released by the end of the year.