Price of petrol increased without justification, a government report says but the industry contradicts the government, on grounds that it fails to do the math correctly. In politics today, Democrat Liberals started strategies to obtain majority in the Permanent Offices of the Parliament’s Chambers, as President Basescu calls for mobilization. Last but not least, activity in the justice sector is blocked after the Court’s decision to declare the Senate’s validation of the new Council of Magistracy members unconstitutional.
High petrol prices are higher than the increase of costs of the raw material while high sales did not make even higher profits according to official documents which leads to the suspicion that petrol businessmen hide their profits in fiscal havens. Last year, petrol companies increased prices without any connection whatsoever with the evolution of the oil, or the increase of taxes by the state or with the depreciation of the national currency to the American dollar, a report on the Romanian petrol market reads quoted by Gandul
The government urged authorities to check whether price increases are also found in the taxes paid to the state and urged the Competition Council to start an investigation and establish whether there was a monopoly situation. According to the report, in the first nine months of 2010, Petrom, owned by the Austrian group OMV had a profit of 337.2 million euro, a 46% increase to the similar period in 2009.
In the same time span Rompetrol Rafinare, owned by KazMunaiGaz registered losses of 139.6 million dollars, 30% higher than the same period, last year. Petrotel – LuckOil controlled by the Russian group LukOil increased its social capital by 136 million euro to cover losses and continue activities.
Authorities suspect these companies for hiding profits in fiscal havens.
