Santo Domingo.- Fuel retailers will halt sales in their stations the country for six hours on Wednesday around the country, to demand that the Government raise their profit margins.

In a statement the National Fuel Retailers Association announced the measure Monday morning, noting that its 456 affiliate stations nationwide won’t pump fuel from 6 a.m. to 12 noon.  “To continue operating fuel stations with high fuel costs and the increase in the different economic variables is currently untenable.”

Among those variables retailers cite a pay raise for employees, social security payments, 11 percent accumulated inflation in the last two years, losses from evaporation and temperature and sagging average sales, from 79,000 to 40,000 gallons per station, resulting from consumers changing to propane gas and high taxes on gasoline.

The fuel retailers say what most affects them is the proliferation of smuggled diesel, which pays not tax and is sold through third parties and people not related to the sector.