AMMAN— The government is
expected to raise the prices of oil derivatives in February by 3-8 percent,
according to energy expert
Amer Shoubaki.
اضافة اعلان
The prices of a liter of gasoline 90 and gasoline 95
are expected to rise from 30 to 40 fils, which will mean a 600 to 800 fils rise
in the price of a 20-liter tank, Shoubaki told
Jordan News.
The price of a liter of diesel may increase by five
fils, equivalent to JD1 for 20 liters, while the price of kerosene is usually
fixed throughout the winter season, he added.
Globally, the price of oil has risen since the beginning
of this year by 10 percent, with an average price of $84 per barrel for Brent
in January, and an average of $74 per barrel last December, Shoubaki said.
He added that the reasons for this rise include
growing demand for oil and the decline in risks of the
Omicron mutant to the
global economy, accompanied by a drop in supply by producers. Added to this are
suppliers’ fears over the escalation of tensions in
Ukraine and the Gulf, and
the faltering of the Vienna negotiations on the Iranian nuclear file.
The rise in the prices of oil derivatives globally
should not be a reason for the government to impose an additional hike,
Shoubaki said. “Instead, the government should fix prices at the current
ceilings, in light of the fact that it charges a fixed tax, which amounts to 44
percent of the price of gasoline 90 and 53 percent of the price of gasoline 95,
and more than a quarter of the price of kerosene and diesel, at a rate of 27
percent.”
According to Shoubaki, the government increased the
prices of oil derivatives nine times over the past 13 months, raising the price
of a liter of gasoline 90 to 900 fils per liter and for gasoline 95 to over JD1
per liter. As for diesel and kerosene, the price has jumped to over 600 fils
per liter.
“These are historical price levels that require
setting price ceilings and reducing taxes on oil derivatives, which in turn
will contribute to reducing the cost of the energy bill,” he said.
Hashem Aqel, an energy expert, told
Jordan News that the price of gasoline 90 is expected to increase by four percent and of
gasoline 95 by 3.2 percent.
Regarding diesel, which is used mainly as heating
fuel, he said, “if the December price, of 45 fils, were taken as reference, the
increase would be seven percent, but if the October price, of 82 fils, were to
be the reference, the increase would be 12 percent higher”.
“These increases are very stressful for citizens and must be
reconsidered, especially since the economic conditions of citizens do not allow
for more steep hikes,” Aqel said.
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