Antitrust still says fuel filling stations may pay fuel excises

TYUMEN, Nov 2 (PRIME) -- A transfer of excises from refineries to fuel filling stations is possible and should be discussed anew, Deputy Antimonopoly Service Director Anatoly Golomolzin told reporters on Friday.

On Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said that the government was not discussing the transfer because it cannot be done fast and requires serious analysis.

“We are generally discussing this question. I want to reiterate that we were unable to do this before because of the difficulties with tax management. I see no difficulties that may stop us from discussing this question now,” Golomolzin said.

The fuel excise is a consumer tax, and it should be as close to the consumers as possible, but until recently the tax service was unable to manage it. But the degree of digitalization of the Federal Tax Service has improved greatly since making the transfer realistic. He added that the corresponding government bodies should discuss the issue, not the Federal Antimonopoly Service.

He said that the government was now to approve a recent agreement with oil companies and refineries on fuel price, after which the oil companies, the Energy Ministry, and the service would finalize the deals. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has already given the necessary order, and the government will issue the ruling in no time, he said.

On Wednesday, the ministry, the service, oil companies, and independent refineries reached an agreement to freeze wholesale fuel prices at the level of June 2018 until March 31, 2019, and to raise domestic sales of gasoline and diesel fuel by 3% on the year each month.

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