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TRUCKERS' STRIKE * South Korea - Diesel Prices Burden Truck Drivers
Drivers are lining up their trucks in front of major ports, saying that the more you drive, the more you lose
Seoul,S. Korea -dongA -26 May 2008: -- The recent surge in diesel prices is threatening the livelihood of cargo truck and small delivery truck drivers. Some of them even stay up all night in their trucks to scare off oil thieves or risk their lives for break-free night-driving to save oil. Furthermore, drivers are lining up their trucks in front of major ports, saying that the more you drive, the more you lose... Diesel prices have surpassed the 2,000 won per liter mark, posting a tenfold increase over the past 18 years in contrast to a fivefold rise in gasoline prices during the same period. Despite the relatively low tax rates imposed on diesel, which is mostly imported for industrial use, diesel prices exceeded those of gasoline due to the soaring demand in newly-emerging economies such as China and India. The unpredictability of the price hike left many truck drivers in utter bewilderment... The Korea Cargo Transport Workers Union announced that it will go on strike unless the government comes up with follow-up measures to the diesel price hike, such as the introduction of a standard rate system or tax reduction. Specifically, it demanded the government to reduce tax on diesel used in 1-ton trucks for cargo transportation or other businesses for livelihood, just as the government exempts taxes on gasoline used in fishing ships and agricultural machinery... The government has reiterated its pledge to maintain its ratio of diesel to gasoline in prices 85:100. Keeping that promise alone would contribute greatly to lifting the burden on truck drivers. Another effective way of helping them is to raise the cost of using cargo trucks to offset the rise in diesel prices, which will then split the burden between consignors and drivers...
Labels: truckers' strikes
posted by Unknown @ 7:10 PM
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