WELLINGTON, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government will cut fuel excise duties by 25 New Zealand cents (about 16.95 U.S. cents) a liter for three months as part of a cost-of-living relief package for Kiwi households.
From Tuesday fuel excise duties and road user charges will be reduced by 25 cents each and from April 1 public transport fares will be halved as part of a package of measures to reduce transport cost pressures on middle- and low-income households, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a press conference on Monday.
The move will reduce the cost of filling up a 40-liter tank of petrol by over 11 NZ dollars (7.46 U.S. dollars), and for a 60-liter tank, over 17 NZ dollars (11.53 U.S. dollars).
Halving the public transport fares will provide an alternative to filling up the car tank, said the prime minister.
New Zealand saw a more than 15 percent increase in the price of 91 petrol between the start of the year and last week. ■