DUSHANBE, May 2, 2013, Asia-Plus — Gasoline prices have reportedly fallen in Tajikistan following the Russian government’s decision to lower export duty on Russia’s oil products.
The findings of monitoring released by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT) on May 1 show that the price of one liter of 92-octane gasoline in Dushanbe has fallen from 6.70 somoni on April 1 to 6.10 somoni, with similar price falls in other parts of the country.
The price of one liter of 95-octane gasoline has reportedly fallen from 6.90 somoni on April 1 to 6.70 somoni.
Experts from a MEDT say the price fall has resulted from reduction in the rate of export duty on Russia’s oil products for May.
By Russian government’s decree an export duty on petroleum has been brought down from US$401.50 in April to US$378.40.
Meanwhile, an export duty on Russian gasoline has been brought down from US$3622.4 in April to US$340.60.
We will recall that Tajikistan was exempted from paying Russian tariffs on oil and gas exports from 1995-2010 and Russia cancelled Tajikistan’s tax exemption on May 1, 2010 that resulted in gasoline prices rising in the country. A sudden spike was reported in May 2011, when export duty for Russian gasoline rose 44 percent as compared with April.
On October 5 last year, the Ministry of Energy and Industries of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Energy of the Russian Federation signed a memorandum on the conditions for the delivery of Russian oil products to Tajikistan.
Tajik Minister of Energy and Industries Gul Sherali and Russian Minister of Energy Alexander Novak signed an agreement on duty-free Russian oil product deliveries to Tajikistan in Moscow on February 6, 2013.
Under this agreement, the sides consider and endorse the indicative fuel balance for the next calendar before October 1 of each year. Fuels delivered in addition to the indicative fuel balance will be liable to export duty.
Russian oil products delivered to Tajikistan in the volumes not exceeding those agreed on indicative balance are not subject to re-export to the third countries. This ban also applies to Russian oil products delivered to Tajikistan from other member nations of the Customs Union.
Under the indicative fuel balance endorsed for 2013, Russia will deliver one million tons of oil products with 50 percent of them being gasoline, free of duty to Tajikistan this year.
According to the statistical data from the Customs Service under the Government of Tajikistan, 78,037 tons of oil products have been delivered to Tajikistan over the first three months of this year, which was 24,000 tons fewer than in the same period last year.
