Vaz backed proposed gas tax

Another government minister has endorsed the proposed dedicated fund to finance road repairs.



Daryl Vaz, State Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister, has backed a call from Works Minister Mike Henry for the introduction of a special tax to create a fund dedicated to repair roads.



Vaz said the dedicated fund should also be used for river training and to address the other factors that lead to the destruction of the roads.



He argued that there is no way the billions of dollars needed to repair and maintain the roads will be found without the dedicated fund.



The State Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for West Portland, pointed to roads in the Buff Bay and Rio Grande Valleys in the parish, which have been in need of repairs for years.



Earlier this week government sources confirmed that the Golding administration is considering a \'gas tax’ in excess of two dollars per litre.



But yesterday, Dwight Nelson, Minister without portfolio in the Finance Ministry said the administration had not made a decision concerning the proposed tax.