WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2011-07-25 Time: 22:26:07 Posted By: News Poster
By Alawi Masare
The Ewura proposals by the Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (Ewura), that are to take effect as soon as bulk oil importation begins later this year, have attracted mixed feelings and views from various stakeholders.
The Ewura director general, Mr Haruna Masebu, said during a stakeholders’ meeting on Friday that the new formula, to start working soon, will reduce prices of petroleum products.
Inspite of this, however, most prices will be determined by those at which oil is purchased on the world market, he said.
“I cannot mention a specific rate at which the price of fuel will be reduced as discussions are still going on. Comments and opinions from stakeholders will determine the level of the decrease,” said Mr Masebu.
He added that 80 per cent of kerosene costs and 60 to 65 per cent of those of diesel and petrol were caused by the high purchasing price of oil in the world market accompanied by fluctuation of the local currency.
Some of the issues which raised concern among stakeholders include exchange rates, use of fixed amounts in shillings for some items, destination inspection fees as well as ocean and evaporation losses.
Many oil marketing companies wanted Ewura to maintain the current practice of determining the exchange rate of the shilling against the US dollar as opposed to the proposed use of the Bank of Tanzania’s average exchange rates.
Currently, the exchange rate in the pricing formula is based on the average of “selling rates” of three working days before the pricing week for three banks, namely NBC Bank, Stanbic Bank and Standard Chartered Bank.
GAPCO wanted the current system to continue with addition of the CITI Bank.
Said a representative of TOTAL Tanzania, Mr Luc Vutong: “BoT rates cannot apply because it does not sell US dollars to oil companies. Even the rates shown are not the same as those on the market; we should continue using rates of commercial banks.”
Ewura had also proposed the use of fixed amounts of Tanzania shillings in some items using current exchange rates. For example, it proposed the wharfage rate, which is now 1.6 per cent of Cost Insurance Freight (CIF) plus 18 per cent VAT, be fixed at $3 (about Sh4,500) per tonne plus 18 per cent VAT and fixed the shilling at prevailing exchange rates on the respective date.
But a representative from the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), identified by only one name as Mr Clemence, said the Ewura proposals would to a great extent reduce the authority’s revenue as most charges would be reduced.
“It is not possible to calculate prices using local currencies as most of the equipment we use is bought in dollars. Even some TPA projects are being run using foreign loans which we will repay in the same way,” said Mr Clemence.
However, Mr Masebu told the TPA representative to justify the claim in writing as his institution and TRA did not do so since the proposals were released.
HEADING. Large-scale biogas project, timely power blues beater
SUMMARY. The biogas option is preferred as a way of alleviating the impact of electricity shortage, and lessening dependency on firewood and charcoal as the main energy sources, especially in rural areas.
Ewura and other oil companies had proposed removing the destination inspection fees arguing that the TRA no longer provided the service. But its representative, identified as Imelda, defended it although not in writing.
A consumer, Mr Haji Migiwa, requested that the ocean and evaporation losses should be removed from the pricing formula as they could be part of insurance.
“If the oil is insured, why are evaporation and ocean losses included?” he wondered.
Original date published: 24 July 2011
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201107251491.html?viewall=1