**In short: **
The government has halved the fuel excise, reducing the cost of petrol and diesel by 26.3 cents a litre for three months.
The heavy road user charge will also be reduced to zero for the same period, taking pressure off truck drivers and transport costs.
Lowering the price will just increase consumption and hoarding.
The solution to shortages is rationing, but the government is worried (probably accurately) that it will be unpopular.
This is a dumb take. No one who wasn’t already hoarding is going to start hoarding because of this discount.
By your logic the government should have doubled the fuel excise lol. Make it more expensive so it’s not hoarded.
Its basic supply and demand and well established
Supply hasn’t changed, nor has demand.
Also 90% of Lemmy thinks that supply and demand doesn’t have any effect on prices lol
That’s what the market prices are for. The taxes are for raising revenue and encouraging long-term behavioral change.
Sure but a sudden change in the taxes on one item are obviously going to lead to a higher demand than otherwise. Much like an economic stimulus package. Plenty of those people need support and can’t afford to pay more so doing something isn’t terrible, but if the issue is supply, which it seems to be, then you’re just going to risk running out / need to restrict usage
Actually, is there a reason they wouldn’t be worried about supply that I could be ignorant of? Last I heard a few tankers had turned away, people were preparing for a prolonged war and there were issues with rural deliveries