Duties on Belarusian oil products will bring gasoline prices up - experts
2013-03-12 15:15:38
The introduction of fees for Belarusian oil products will increase the prices of gasoline, and therefore this issue should be taken very carefully.
This opinion was expressed in a commentary to UKRINFORM by the first deputy head of the parliamentary committee on the fuel and energy complex, nuclear policy and nuclear safety, Oleh Zarubinsky.
"I believe that the issue of the imposition of duties on petroleum products must be treated very carefully. I would check not 7, but 77 times when it comes to the introduction of fees... I think that the introduction of fees is likely to lead to negative consequences, rather than positive," the MP said.
Zarubinsky stressed that now there are no problems with gasoline in Ukraine. If a duty is imposed on oil products from Belarus, fuel prices will rise immediately.
"According to experts, the price of gasoline could rise from 1.1 UAH to 1.3 UAH per liter. And who this burden will lie upon? Course, on the drivers who already pay taxes for road repair, etc." the expert said.
Oleh Zarubinsky is skeptical of the thesis that a ban on the import of Belarusian oil products would give an impetus to the development of Ukrainian refineries.
"Most oil refineries in Ukraine belong not to the state, but to individual businessmen. Once these refineries have been given to them for next to nothing. That is, they actually received free of charge what was not created by them: both industrial grounds and equipment - under the condition of reconstruction. It should have been already done, but has never happened so far. Now those people want to have not just benefits, but non-competitive conditions in order to get money for alleged reconstruction. It turns out to be that we will pay them for these refineries twice," the deputy head of the parliamentary committee stated.
In turn, deputy head of the parliamentary committee on economic policy, Ksenia Liapina is confident that the ban on imports of Belarusian oil products will lead to higher prices in Ukraine's domestic market.
"It is not possible just to ban the import of Belarusian oil products since it will cause temporary shortage, which in turn will lead to higher prices. Therefore it is very important to take a reasonable stance on this issue," she said.
As known, the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine on 11 March 2013 registered a request for initiating anti-subsidy investigation against imports to Ukraine of engine gasoline and diesel fuel originating in the Republic of Belarus. Refineries are asking for imposition of a fee of USD 180.84 per ton on Belarusian oil products for a period of five years.