Bollard soft on inflation ?
www.interest.co.nz Bollard soft on inflation Questioning RBNZ credibility Rates to fall in 2008 Despite inflation at 4.7% Sees inflation below 3 ...
River transportation gets dearer
On the face of it, increase in the rates of state-run ferry and passenger services by 25 and 35 percent respectively may sound reasonable. It can even be soft pedaled on the plea that the hikes are still below the cumulative fuel price rise at 42 percent. But on a closer scrutiny, this is a harsh step for the government to take.
Over the last three and a half years the government could do without an increase in the rates despite fuel price hike from time to time. What then compelled the authorities to increase rates, that too by such wide margins at one go? It is argued by a director of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) that the organisation was incurring loss in passenger vessel services. Even allowing for such a loss, BIWTC has been reportedly making profit since 2001 grossing around Tk 330 million last year alone. We can only deduce that profits accrued from the ferry services. Why then the rates of cross-river transportation have been raised along with those of passenger vessels?