BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan.6
Trend:
Kazakhstan’s government has set price caps for retail sales of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), Trend reports citing the government.
In accordance with the instructions of the country’s president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, given on January 5 at a meeting on the internal socio-economic situation, the government made a number of following urgent decisions:
1. Price caps have been set for 180 days on retail sales of LPG for refueling vehicles at gas stations in Kazakhstan: 50 tenge (11 cents) per liter in Aktobe, Atyrau, Mangistau regions (55 tenge or 13 cents per liter in remote areas located at a distance of over 200 km);
- in Shymkent, East Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, West Kazakhstan, Kyzylorda and Turkestan regions - 60 tenge (14 cents) per liter (65 tenge or 15 cents per liter in remote areas located at a distance of over 200 km);
- in Almaty city - 65 tenge per liter;
- in Nur-Sultan city, Akmola, Almaty, Kostanay, Karaganda, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan regions - 70 tenge (16 cents) per liter (75 tenge or 17 cents per liter in remote areas located at a distance of over 200 km);
The full transition of the LPG sales to the online trading platform has been postponed for a year.
2. A temporary state price regulation for the sale of gasoline and diesel fuel has been introduced for 180 days. So, the following price caps for retail sales of gasoline, including value added tax, have been established: 89 tenge (20 cents) per liter of RON-80; 182 tenge (42 cents) per liter of RON-92 and RON-93; and 215 tenge (49 cents) per liter of RON-95.
Price caps for retail sales of diesel fuel (summer, off-season), including VAT, have been set depending on the region: in Akmola, Aktobe, East Kazakhstan, West Kazakhstan, Kostanay, and North Kazakhstan regions - 260 tenge (60 cents) per liter; in the cities of Nur-Sultan, Almaty, Shymkent, Almaty, Atyrau, Zhambyl, Karaganda, Kyzylorda, Pavlodar, and Turkestan regions - 230 tenge (53 cents) per liter.
3. Preparatory work for the construction of a new gas processing plant in Zhanaozen city has been accelerated.
4. A temporary moratorium will be introduced in the nearest future for 180 days on increasing tariffs for regulated utilities: water supply, sewerage, heat, gas and electricity supplies.
5. A ban has been established on the export of cattle and small ruminants - for six months, potatoes and carrots - for three months in order to stabilize prices for socially significant food products, including beef, lamb, potatoes and carrots.
Kazakhstan's government announced late Jan. 4 that it was restoring some price caps on liquefied petroleum gas, after the rare protests reached Almaty following a sharp rise in the price of the fuel at the start of the year.
Many Kazakhs have converted their cars to run on LPG, which is far cheaper than gasoline as a vehicle fuel in Kazakhstan because of price caps. But the government argued that the low price was unsustainable and lifted the caps on Jan. 1.
After the price of the fuel spiked, big demonstrations erupted on Jan. 2 in certain parts of the country. Public protests are illegal in the country unless their organizers file a notice in advance. Following the development of the situation, the government declared a state of emergency all over the country.