The whole world is suffering as a result of high fuel prices. Here in Australia the impact is exacerbated because of the Federal Government taxing regime.
While many businesses levy fuel surcharges (airlines, freight companies etc), Australia’s independent newsagents, who deliver newspapers and magazines to millions of homes and businesses every day, are being blocked from charging a levy by the newspaper publishers.
The high price of fuel is hurting newsagents and they are blocked from doing anything about it.
Publishers will claim that the recent delivery fee increase helps offset the increase in the cost of fuel. That’s not true. The recent delivery fee increase, in the case of Victoria, was the first for at least seven years and did not even catch up with the increases in labour and other costs over that time.
Publishers who care about the economic well being of their independent newsagent channel will allow the immediate introduction of a fuel surcharge or they will provide rebates themselves. Either way, many newsagents cannot continue to fund these costs from their own pockets.
Fuel is a cost to my business and it’s time I was allowed to be business like in dealing with this.