The reason as to why former MP Mangala Samaraweera introduced a fuel price formula was so that there would be consistency in fuel pricing for the consumer as well as the Government who imports the crude oil, said Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Harsha De Silva. He made this statement while speaking to the media today (14), when posed with the question about his opinion of the current Minister of Energy Udaya Gammanpila re-implementing the fuel price formula proposed by Samaraweera. "When Mangala proposed his fuel price formula the people laughed at him. If this price formula was used back in April 2020, when the price of a barrel of crude oil was almost at USD 0, the country and the consumer would have benefited. When the price of a barrel of crude oil dropped, the price in Sri Lanka did not not drop much. The government had a fixed rate. This was not beneficial to the people nor the government," said De Silva. De Silva further explained that the implementation of a fuel price formula would benefit the consumer when the global price of fuel drops, and also benefit the Government when the price of a barrel of crude oil fluctuates. "When the price of a barrel of crude oil drops, the consumer still pays an amount but it will be a reasonable amount. Likewise, when the price increases, the Government manages to get a tax imposed on the consumer for fuel and this will be regulated with a capping bar. With a fuel price formula, both parties benefit," he added. He further added that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) price is currently more than the fuel provided by the Indian Oil Company (IOC).