With the price of petrol increasing all the time (which I suspect is due more to futures trading than demand) it is not uncommon for contest organizers to offer petrol as a prize or as a sweetener for people to purchase a product. The most common are cars – buy a new car and get free petrol for a year or something enticing like that.
But this is all scheduled to end because the Minister has directed companies to stop giving petrol as a prize as it is Government subsidized. I personally can’t quite understand the logic behind it.
Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said although he understood the rationale behind the prize, petrol was not a suitable gift when companies were trying to promote their products.
“I hope that oil and car companies will stop giving out free petrol as each litre of petrol is subsidised with money from taxpayers,” he told reporters after handing out bubur lambuk at Masjid Jamek in Bandar Baru Uda yesterday.
I cannot understand why this even has to be directed. In order for the companies to give out the petrol as a prize, dont they have to actually buy it first? I don’t see how it affects the government or its subsidies at all.
How about promotions like treasure hunts where petrol is usually subsidized. Are they also now banned from giving out petrol subsidies “because it is subsidised by the Government”?
Things are getting more and more ridiculous by the day. Abandon ship la and give a new captain a chance to sail this leaky vessel!