Price Of Crude Drops While
Gasoline Prices Keeps Going Up In Costa Rica
Although the price of crude oil sat at a low us$35.10 dollars a
barrel, yesterday, the Autoridad Reguladora de los Servicios
Públicos (Aresep) is considering the latest request by the state
refinery to increase - yes, you read it right - increase the price
of gasoline.
Recope yesterday request a whopping price hike of ¢54 colones for a
litre of super and ¢48 for regular, while dropping the price of
litre of diesel by ¢18.
If approved, this would be the second price hike of the year, as
gasoline prices went up at 12:01am Friday, while the price of crude
oil on international markets continues to hover below the us$40 a
barrel.
So, why the increase?
According to the Aresep, the price of crude oil and the finished
product at the pumps is different.
Gasoline prices this year have gone up 26% for regular and 28% for
super, while diesel has dropped 8%, while crude oil has dropped 24%,
according to the Aresep justification.
Recope president, José León Desanti, piped in that gasoline prices
would be much lower if Costa Rica could refine all of its gasoline,
saying that the price would be as much as 34% lower.
Former regulador, Leonel Fonseca, said yesterday that although there
is a price variation between crude and the finished product, he does
not see why Costa Ricans should be paying up to four times more than
international prices.
Fonseca said he had presented a "recurso de amparo" (write of Habeas
Corpus) to the Sala Cuarta (Constitutiona Court) to consider the
notion that the Aresep is not respecting the formula method for
fixing prices at a local level.
However, the presentation made earlier this month was rejected by
the Sala, saying that they do no analyze technical aspects like
rates.
Fonseca is not the only one making his concerns public.
The Asociación Nacional de Empleados Públicos y Privados (ANEP), one
of the largest worker's unions, also has come out publicly decrying
the high cost of gasoline while international costs are low.
"The Aresep has lost a lot of credibility and transparency in the
eyes of the people, because they are efficient and quick to raise
prices and only give excuses to drop them, while millions of profits
are being made", said Albino Vargas, head of the ANEP.
Even though the majority are not in agreement with the increases,
expect the prices to go up at the pumps by the middle of next month.
|
Product |
Price on Thursday |
Current Price |
Coming Soon |
|
Super |
¢416 |
¢432 |
¢486 |
|
Regular |
¢408 |
¢426 |
¢474 |
|
Diesel |
¢427 |
¢430 |
¢412 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
