Fuel Tax Protest NZ is organising a demonstration in the Octagon at 1pm on Saturday, May 16, that aims to highlight challenges faced by businesses and families as fuel prices dramatically increase on the back of conflicts in Iran.
Local organiser Ken Schumacher said the event was part of a series of rallies taking place nationwide.
“This is a peaceful protest that does not include any sort of blockades or disruption,” Mr Schumacher said.
“We are asking people to turn to up on the day with flags and banners. We will have a sound system there.”
“Remembering that it is professional, you know, peaceful, there is no funny business.”
Fuel Tax Protest NZ is an unincorporated grassroots organisation of everyday New Zealanders fighting for fair, affordable and transparent fuel taxes and road funding, he said.
“People are saying enough is enough.
“It is crippling, it is crippling so many people,” Mr Schumacher said.
National organiser Phil Barrett, of Balclutha, said the government needed to look at its fuel settings.
“They need to look at their settings for both road users and any other excise tax or tax that they are putting on the fuel,” Mr Barrett said.
“That is what we want them to do and see if there is any room in there to either remove or reduce them.”
This could be a temporary reduction.
“Just a solution in the meantime until we get back on our feet again, because we are starting to struggle.”
Mr Barrett said he aimed to bring the rural voice back to Dunedin.
“The downstream effects of what is happening now are going to hit the towns quicker than they are going to hit the rural communities because rural communities are actually pretty resilient.
“They manage to get by a hell of a lot quicker than what they do in town because we realise that all that stuff that goes into the shops in Dunedin, 90% of it comes from the rural communities.”
Mr Barrett said regardless of whether individuals thought they could afford fuel at the moment, “sooner or later” consumers would get sick of paying higher costs.
“The worst is probably yet to come.
“There is a flow-on effect happening at the moment.”
He believed fuel was being rationed in the North Island.
“There has been the word ‘allocation’ being used and that sort of thing.”
The May 16 events might not be the end of the action.
“It is just a starting point to get everybody together,” Mr Barrett said.
