Vehicle owners and industries using fuel will keep paying the same price for fuel in July.

According to the Ministry of Finance, the June prices will be carried over to July. This means that petrol will continue to retail at $3.46 per litre, while diesel price will also cost $3.46 per litre while the price of kerosene remains at $3.05 per litre.

Taxi driver, Christopher Eti of Apia said this was a relief because an increase would have dented his income.

“Each time the fuel price goes up, we taxi drivers know that our income will not be as much as last month. At least it is not going up,” he said.

“A drop in the price of spare parts would be a great help. Hopefully, the government has thought of that in the budget.”

A parent from Fagalii, Viliamu, 47, said transportation is one of his biggest expenses.

“My children go to schools outside of the village and I prefer to pick them and drop them. I do not like the idea of my daughters travelling by bus,” he said.

“It is good news for me that fuel prices would remain the same because that would mean my expenses do not increase. I do not need that.”

Last month, fuel prices increased by as much as 10 sene in some instances. For prices transitioning from May to June, petrol went up by 9.9 sene and costing $3.46 per litre from the May price of $3.36. Diesel increased by 1.5 sene. The new retail price for diesel was $3.46 per litre from $3.45 per litre.

For kerosene, the increase was 0.1 sene therefore the retail price remained at $3.05 per litre.

For the June increase, Minister for Finance Lautimuia Uelese Vaai said the price movements for crude oil had become relatively stable over the last three months.

He said external conflicts kept pushing the prices up one day and down the next.

“Typically, petrol prices increase as the norther summer car travels increase while diesel prices seem to react on the reports of lack of global economic growth,” he said.