Petrol fee to rise

Press, 20 July 1979, Page 3

Petrol fee to rise

An increase in petrol credit service charges “will definitely come,” in Christchurch, says the president of the Canterbury branch of the Motor Trade Association (Mr P. Buist). The Press Association has reported that petrol stations in Auckland had trebled credit service charges. A $1 charge was introduced in 1975 to cover the cost of running petrol accounts, and the rise this month to $3 is the first rise. The Trade and Industry Department recently lifted

its restriction on a $1 maximum. Mr Buist said that unlike Auckland, where all petrol stations had trebled their credit charges, Canterbury firms would set their own charges. “I think a minimum reasonable monthly charge would be about $2,” he said. A motor trade spokesman (Mr J. Hedley), said that the $3 charge still did not cover the stations’ costs. Most charge accounts cost from S 5 to S 6 a month to run. “Nothing in the retailers’ margin gives any sort of margin for credit,” he said.