DUSHANBE, September 18, Asia-Plus — Russia will scarcely lift sport duties on light oil fro Tajikistan, Zayniddin Muminov, the head of the CIS department within the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT), said.
According to him, that issue was discussed at high level, both between the presidents and the premiers of the two countries.
“President Rahmon raised the issue of the possibility of lifting export duties on light oil at his Russian counterpart, President Dmitry Medvedev, during his working visit to Moscow in August,” said Muminov, “In late June, Prime Minister Oqil Oqilov sent an official letter on this subject to Premier Vladimir Putin. The year is ending, but there are no replies and results.”
The expert stressed that even Russia would agree to lift the expert duties on light oil for Tajikistan it would do that unwillingly.
Muminov added that it could not be ruled out that introduction of export duties on light oil for Tajikistan was politically motivated.
We will recall that Russia on May 1 introduced the export duty on light oil for Tajikistan at the rate of 203.7 U.S. dollars per one ton and on June 1, the export duty was raised to 209.1 U.S. dollars. Introduction of the export duty on light oil has resulted in gasoline prices rising in Tajikistan in late May. The price of one liter of 95-octane gasoline in Dushanbe has risen from 3.90 somoni to 4.40 somoni, with similar price rises in other parts of the country.
According to Russian media, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan had been receiving Russian fuel duty free since 1995, in keeping with protocols to the government-to-government agreements on the establishment of a free trade zone within the CIS area. However, Russian customs started collecting a duty on oil products exported to Kyrgyzstan on April 1 and to Tajikistan on May 1.
