Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves said it is an outrage for some shipping agencies to be charging Vincentians a fee of $25 for issuing a delivery note to Customs.

He said against the background of government dropping the cost for clearing Christmas barrels of personal effects it was not an occasion for anyone to make money from these barrels.{{more}}

He said that Coreas was charging $10 per barrel and they explained that the fee only applied where the barrel was consigned in care of the company but they have since dropped the charges.

Gonsalves thanked the management of Coreas and said he hoped to clarify the matter with the other shipping agencies who have been charging $25 for delivery notes as the Christmas barrel matter was important to all people, particularly the poor.