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Mrunal [Economy 4 Newbie] Govt. Price control on Petroleum Products- Why Print
Background
80% of our oil is imported. 2008 saw an unprecedented rise in oil price on the world market. Crude Barrel price increased from US$ 36 / barrel in May 2004 to US$132.5 / barrel in July 2008, government did not permit Public Sector Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) to pass the full cost of imports on to domestic consumers of major oil products, i.e., petrol, diesel, domestic LPG & Kerosene. Since it doesnt fall from sky,somebody has to pay for it. Govt. paid it- via issuing bonds to Oil making Cos. So what we are getting is subsidized product and this is how Govt. controls the prices of petroleum products
6/24/13
Mrunal [Economy 4 Newbie] Govt. Price control on Petroleum Products- Why Print
Cross-border price difference trend to widen when prices are kept low; it encourages fuel tourism/ Smuggling especially for Kerosene.
Why Should the government intervene at all in the market and set prices?
because poor people need cheap kerosene to cook food, else theyll chop down the trees. = climate change they also use kerosene lamps, because they have no electricity. suppose LPG & Kerosene were sold on high prices then? Poor Girls will be forced to collect firewood all day= cant go to school
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6/24/13
Mrunal [Economy 4 Newbie] Govt. Price control on Petroleum Products- Why Print
Deforestation = climate change + global warming. Villagers using Cattle-dung but Cattle dung has better use a manure.
6/24/13
Mrunal [Economy 4 Newbie] Govt. Price control on Petroleum Products- Why Print
Other impacts
if diesel is cheap, it may encourage freight movement by trucks rather than by train. When the price difference between petrol and diesel is high, diesel driven vehicles may be preferred. If there is a large difference between the prices of diesel and kerosene, kerosene may be used to adulterate diesel. In 2008, we have even seen diesel being used in place of furnace oil. Thus, Price control, subsidies and taxes can introduce distortions which may not be desirable.
Conclusion
In order to shield the Indian economy and consumers from the adverse impact of a volatile international oil market, the government decided to fix the consumer prices of four sensitive petroleum products, viz. petrol, diesel, domestic LPG, PDS kerosene. As the prices of these products were below their cost, government devised a compensation mechanism for the public sector oil marketing companies (OMCs). This mechanism essentially involved financial support to OMCs from other public sector upstream companies, viz. ONGC, OIL and GAIL by way of price discounts and from the government through issue of bonds. Parikh Committee suggests that at current levels of prices of petrol, diesel, PDS kerosene and domestic LPG, the financial burdens on the companies as
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Mrunal [Economy 4 Newbie] Govt. Price control on Petroleum Products- Why Print
well as on the government will be unsustainable. Therefore, there is a need to change the existing policy which can strike a balance between the capacity of the consumer to bear higher prices and fiscal stability of the government. Explicit formula-based pricing mechanism of petroleum products is not conducive to establishing a long-term viable and globally competitive oil industry in the country. As more than 3/4th of the current domestic crude oil requirements is met by imports and is expected to go upto further in the future, the domestic consumer prices of petroleum products should be increasingly aligned with movements in international oil markets. Any ad hoc system of price fixation by the government may provide a semblance of domestic price stability in the immediate-to-short term, but give rise to serious long-term instabilities in the demand-supply conditions in the country, competitive functioning of oil companies, and fiscal soundness of the government. A viable and sustainable pricing system for petroleum products is a key requirement of stable, long-term growth of the economy. Similarly, a financially strong and globally competitive oil industry provides an enduring platform to strengthen energy security of the country. It is therefore important that oil companies should have the freedom to set prices based on competitive market conditions. The government needs to extend subsidy to the targeted consumers in such a manner which does not impinge on the freedom of oil companies to set prices in the market place.
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