DUSHANBE
, July 27, Asia-Plus — The antimonopoly agency chief claims gasoline prices in
Tajikistan
have been raised artificially.
Rahmonali Amirov, Chairman of Tajikistan’s Antimonopoly Committee, told a news conference in
Dushanbe
on January 26 that the results of survey conducted by experts from the antimonopoly agency have shown that the current prices of gasoline in the republic do not correspondent to an actual valuation.
According to him, gasoline sellers intend to raise the prices even more in near future. “We have found out that in near future, the gasoline prices will rise up to 3 Somonis per one liter depending on its grade,” said Mr. Amirov, “And we have demanded that the price hike should be substantiated, and they should produce weighty arguments for raising the gasoline prices.”
The antimonopoly commission chief noted that the price hikes had resulted from the rising exchange rate of USD, “but entrepreneurs use this situation dishonestly and raise the prices excessively.”
According to him, no one entity supplying oil products to Tajikistan has to date had dominating share (35 percent) on the oil product supply market in Tajikistan, and therefore the antimonopoly commission has no right to prohibit entrepreneurs from determining the fuel prices.
“Only in the event if the company assumes a 35-percent share on the country’s market it will be put on a list of dominating entities of
Tajikistan
and it will be obliged to coordinate all its actions with the antimonopoly commission,” Mr. Amirov noted.
The antimonopoly commission chief also added that in order not to become dominating entity entrepreneurs set up three-four companies and supplied fuel to
Tajikistan
under different brands.
“The only thing we can do legally it is to demand from them documents stating the fuel supplier and prices at which the fuel was purchased, and proceeding from these documents to make conclusion to what extent their actions are legal,” Rahmonali Amirov noted.
He also noted that if the fuel prices are raised artificially in future as well, the state will use its reserves to reduce its prices, “but there is no yet necessity in this.”
Mr. Amirov also stressed that local specialists did not expect reduction in gasoline prices in near future; on the contrary, they expected further increase in gasoline prices following the world market trends.
