“To halt or slow the rise in petrol and diesel prices, it is necessary to demand the temporary introduction of a fuel price cap or the halving of excise duty,” said Tazo Datunashvili, a member of Strong Georgia–Lelo.

According to Datunashvili, such a decision would result in a reduction of approximately 560 million lari to the Georgian state budget over the course of one month.

“The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has driven up fuel prices in Georgia. Since March 13, prices across various fuel types have risen by approximately 10 to 60 tetri. A large proportion of Georgian citizens rely on a car for their daily lives. Moreover, rising fuel costs will hit agricultural produce first and foremost, and in our heavily import-dependent country, will sharply increase inflationary risks, with near certainty, practically to a 99 per cent degree of confidence, prices will rise across absolutely every category of essential consumer goods,” Datunashvili said.

He further noted that many countries are responding to the crisis in international markets either by reducing excise duties or by implementing a cap on fuel prices.

“On March 8, for instance, South Korea decided to introduce a price cap, and the governments of Hungary and Croatia took similar temporary measures within the European Union. Under such a decision, diesel and petrol prices would be held at a fixed level regardless of how oil prices fluctuate on international markets. Georgian Dream has been too slow to act here, as with everything else, but these measures are absolutely necessary. To halt or slow the rise in petrol and diesel prices, we must demand the temporary introduction of a fuel price cap or the halving of excise duty. This decision would reduce the Georgian state budget by approximately 560 million lari over one month, which can unquestionably be balanced out, particularly given that the man who calls himself Prime Minister of this country declares that the economy is ‘excellent’ and running a very healthy surplus. Accordingly, balancing 50 to 60 million lari per month is entirely feasible, so that Georgian citizens are not made to bear the burden that rising global oil prices will otherwise impose upon them.

They could equally reduce the corrupt practices, cut the budget of the State Security Service, which serves no function other than that of a political police force, and trim the bloated bureaucracy that serves these people hand and foot in every conceivable direction. In short, the ball is in Georgian Dream’s court. Georgian citizens have already seen the price of a litre of fuel rise by 60 tetri, and the government has one function and one function only, to act to protect the people of Georgia from the absolute impoverishment that rising fuel costs, and consequently rising prices across every single product, are capable of causing,” said Tazo Datunashvili.