Rakočević: Government should urgently reduce excise taxes on fuel

The Democratic Party of Socialists (DPS) has called on the Government to urgently use the legal opportunity and reduce excise taxes on fuel in order to relieve the heavy burdens felt by citizens.

DPS Presidency Member Nikola Rakočević said today that the fuel price increase will mean not only higher prices at the pumps, but also an increase in the prices of groceries and services.

"A few days ago, we received a decision that comes into effect today - that fuel prices will increase significantly. By making that decision, the government has made the lives of citizens more expensive and their standard of living much lower. This does not only mean higher fuel prices at the pumps, but also the prices of basic foodstuffs will increase," Rakočević said at a press conference.

According to him, citizens are being forced to tighten their belts.

"The government is silent and secretly reaches into the pockets of citizens to increase the budget, using the opportunity to make their lives more expensive, so that it can service the needs of 30 ministries, official trips, party employment, embezzlement and everything that makes their lives richer," Rakočević said.

Inflation, he said, has reached an unbearably high level in the markets, and the Government should give up part of its revenue to mitigate the rise in the cost of living.

"We call on the Government to urgently use the legal opportunity and reduce excise taxes on fuel in order to relieve the burden that citizens feel and pay through higher prices of everything. Inflation has been brought to an unbearably high level and the Government is admitting that prices are being deliberately increased to make life more expensive for citizens, because they say that inflation is good for the state and bad for citizens," said Rakočević.

He said that the Government must use the legal opportunity to lower excise taxes and give up part of its revenues in order to make life bearable for citizens.

"Since they took power, they have collected two billion from various excise taxes, and as a result, citizens have higher prices, higher taxes, a more expensive life and a worse standard of living," concluded Rakočević.