The head of the Association of Markets, Sergei Ponomarev, shared his opinion on the introduction of a fuel tax of 1 som per liter with 24.kg news agency. According to him, this change is primarily aimed at development of transport infrastructure, and not at replenishing the budget.
«The budget will lose a little, because the tax is charged per liter. This is done not to replenish it, but to ensure transparency. The new tax is clearly aimed at restoring roads and developing infrastructure,» Sergei Ponomarev said.
He emphasized that this tax is fair, since those who use roads more intensively will pay more.
«Those who drive more, wear out the roads more and pay more. However, a change of 1 som will not lead to serious problems. We have already observed seasonal changes in the cost of fuel by 1-5 soms, but this did not cause a significant increase in prices,» the head of the association said.
In his opinion, the tax will have the main impact on the taxi industry, where the situation is difficult.
«There is no healthy competition in the taxi market. There is a monopolist that is not afraid of anyone. Any change, even a minor one, will become a possible reason for increasing the cost of services. For example, instead of real costs of 2-10 soms, prices will be raised significantly higher,» Sergei Ponomarev said.
He reminded of the risks associated with the dominant position of large operators.
«When I was the president of the Association of Taxi Operators and Carriers, we warned about the danger of monopolization of the market. Some companies first dump, squeeze out competitors, and then raise prices for drivers and passengers, using the already formed client bases. We have seen this in neighboring countries,» Sergei Ponomarev said.
He believes that the new tax mechanism will create more transparency in the work of fuel and lubricants operators.
«Now fuel and lubricants operators will transfer money to the budget non-cash. This is easier to control than the old transport tax, which is difficult to track. The fund created for road transport infrastructure will become an important tool for improving the quality of roads,» the head of the Association of Markets concluded.
