Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley stated at a recent press conference that the government will be going to the House of Assembly this week to create a relief package through what is known as a Schedule of Additional Provisions (SAP).

However, Dr Wheatley noted that this relief measure was targeted at residential customers in particular.

“Right now we are finalising a proposal for relief through the BVI Electricity Corporation … [This is] a form of relief that persons will be able to see on their electricity bill,” the Premier said.

Residents have been calling for months for a reprieve on their electricity bill as rising global oil and food prices have continued to affect the territory in numerous ways.

One legislator recently argued that even though the government has reduced levies on some imports, some of those savings are not being passed on to the consumers as a result of the other challenges that are being faced.

Opposition Leader Julian Fraser had months ago called for the government to target some of the relief monies it was offering towards the BVIEC’s ‘fuel surcharge’ contained in its electricity bills.

“In the months that we know the electricity consumption goes up, [I’m proposing that] you have a targeted approach to say ‘look, we are going to address the issue of fuel surcharge, cap the amount that persons are going to pay on their electricity bill for a certain period’, – you have maximum benefit. The entire public will benefit from something like that,” the Opposition leader explained.

In the meantime, Premier Wheatley further expressed that the United Kingdom was in favour of the government’s approach being taken to provide economic relief to residents.

Dr Wheatley said he discussed the issue with the UK’s Overseas Territories Minister Amanda Milling when he visited Birmingham recently and she later expressed by letter that the UK was in support of the measures.