While the government talks, we pay.

That is the message from the organiser of a protest against gas prices and the 2015 voluntary gas agreement between government and Manx Gas.

Taxi owner Barry Murphy organised the demonstration outside Tynwald on Tuesday to coincide with the reading of the 2020 Budget.

The protest, by members of the ’Manx Gas and Government Protest Group’, focused on the island’s gas prices and what it sees as the flaws of the 2015 gas Agreement. The group sees prices as very high when compared to most in Europe where tariffs, unlike in the island, have fallen in recent months.

After gathering at Tynwald, the group made its way down to Manx Gas head quarters on South Quay, Douglas where it was met by managing director Ian Plenderleith, whom Mr Murphy praised for coming outside to meet with them, despite ’a few heated moments’.

Mr Murphy added: ’I have tried to make our feelings clear that we need new regulation and an independent regulator to protect all three parties in the future.’

’Voluntary regulation and the Office of Fair Trading would be a failure as far as I’m concerned. I think it is fair to say that anyone that attended today (Tuesday) will understand the risks with voluntary regulation’.

’We learned that discussions are ongoing between the other two parties, namely the government and Manx Gas, but I fear there is a disagreement moving forward regarding the 9.99% ROCE margin.’

Under a deal done with the previous administration led by Allan Bell, Manx Gas sets its prices to achieve a 9.99% margin of profitability.

It was those conditions that Mr Murphy formed the group Manx Gas and Government Protest Group to oppose, initially with the aim to ’pressure the government to enforce a new gas agreement due to the failures of the 2015 agreement’.

Since then, Manx Gas has dropped the controversial banding charge element of its bill structure, leading to some households paying higher winter bills.

But Mr Murphy fears ’there is a disagreement moving forward between Manx Gas and the government regarding the 9.99%ROCE profit margin’.

He added: ’That’s up to them to sort out. However, every month that passes and this stumbling block is not overcome, it is costing us all from our pockets. That is not fair.’

He told the Manx Independent that the group is also seeking for the Office of Fair Trading to be removed as the regulator in all matters relating to Manx Gas and instead be replaced by ’an independent regulator’.

The group also want to see the rate of return in any future regulatory agreement to be ’significantly lower than the current fixed rate’ and Mr Murphy said that they want to see regulation behind any new agreement with Manx Gas to replace the current voluntary aspects.

Mr Murphy is planning the next protest outside the House of Keys on the April 7 if changes are not forthcoming.