NewsWhore
11-19-2007, 03:50 PM
The government is proposing to shift RD$218 million in subsidies from LPG to diesel fuel in an attempt to keep the cost of cargo and passenger transportation at reasonable levels. The proposal is to create a temporary subsidy on diesel fuels for buses and trucks until the fleet can be switched to bio-diesel or natural gas. This is the plan. However, strong resistance is expected against the move to limit subsidized LPG to household and publicos serving the working public. The restriction of access to subsidized LPG for private passenger cars or SUVs is a hot issue, according to reports in all of today's papers. El Caribe says that every month private vehicles use 12.6 million gallons of LPG out of the 29 million gallons sold. According to the newspaper, 13.9 million gallons are used for cooking gas, while publicos (the dilapidated cars that travel fixed routes along the main roadways of the capital and the major cities) use an estimated 2.5 million gallons. The government wants to take the money saved by eliminating the RD$17 peso subsidy on those 12.6 million gallons of LPG, (over RD$220 million per month) and use it to subsidize diesel fuel. While the transport unions approve of the idea, many important people will resist the plan.
In the meantime, fuel prices rose to yet another historic high over the weekend, with premium gasoline reaching RD$167.70 a gallon, regular gasoline priced at RD$156.50 and diesel going up to RD$133.10.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)
In the meantime, fuel prices rose to yet another historic high over the weekend, with premium gasoline reaching RD$167.70 a gallon, regular gasoline priced at RD$156.50 and diesel going up to RD$133.10.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)