MINISTER of Industry, Investment and Commerce Anthony Hylton says petroleum traders will continue to be targeted by his ministry under the new amendments to the Weights and Measures Act.

Hylton told the House of Representatives last Tuesday that the petroleum industry is one of the areas of concern to the public, in terms of the equipment used to weigh and measure sales of its products.

“That is a area that we have to police vigorously,” the minister said in response to a question from Opposition Member of Parliament Daryl Vaz (Portland Western), as to how the petroleum industry will be treated under changes to the Act which were approved by the House last Tuesday.

“The fact is that the Bureau [of Standards] has its own inspectors that do checks on the equipment from time to time and we have to ensure that the vigilance is maintained,” he said as he piloted a number of amendments to the Act, primarily aimed at introducing massive increases in fines for breaches of the Act as a deterrent.

He said that regulations attached to the Bill will provide not just for the inspection of the equipment involved in petroleum sales, but also the importation of equipment without notifying the bureau.

He said that inspection is necessary to ensure that the equipment being imported is not aimed at changing the current regime, and the notification makes it easier to police the industry.

“We believe that the increase in fines will act more as a deterrent than in the (previous) case where the fines were just $2,000,” he added.

The huge increases in fines that were approved by the House include that any person who uses for trade, or who is a party thereto, and has in his/her possession any weighing or measuring equipment which is false or defective, is liable to a fine of $1 million, up from $2,000.

The increase in the fines also applies where a person violates any provision of the Act dealing with petroleum and oil fuel for trade.

Jamaica Gasolene Retailers Association (JGRA) president, Leonard Green, has since reacted to the changes that, while the association supports any measure which will boost integrity in the gasolene trade, the increased penalties under the amended legislation are too high.

He argued that gas station operators work with mechanical devices which can fail and result in an error, and that it would be unfair to assume that the service station operator had deliberately intended to deceive customers and rush to impose a hefty penalty..

But Hylton has said that the increases will deter offenders and ensure that consumers are protected and are given a high standard of service consistently.

He also stated that given the substantial increases in fines, both the Bureau of Standards and the Consumer Affairs Commission will be directed to carry out an appropriate public education campaign aimed at informing the public of the changes.

The Bill will also be debated in the Senate.