Moldovan government imposes six-month moratorium on issuance of authorizations for construction of fuel supply stations, tougher sanctions

Chisinau, 8 December /MOLDPRES/ - The cabinet of ministers today gave a positive notification to a draft law which sees amendments to more normative acts on the work of operators on the oil products market. The draft law is set to ensure the creation of a friendly climate for the development of the free competition, as well as the efficiency in this sector, the government’s communication and protocol department has reported.    

Thus, the principal provision of the draft regards the establishment of a six-month moratorium on the issuance of authorizations for the construction of fuel stations for supply with the main oil products and liquefied gas.    

Also, the cabinet will cancel the fixed licence tax, which presently is of 260,000 lei per import and a general licence tax of 3,250 lei will be imposed. The measure comes as a result of the non-uniform imposing of taxes for the issuance of licences for the import and wholesale commercialization of petrol/diesel and import and wholesale commercialization of the liquefied gas.  

Concomitantly, the cabinet proposes introduction of the tax in the structure of excise duties on the import of oil products of 10 per cent per one ton. The inclusion of this tax will facilitate the access of new operators, who have low capacities, on the fuels’ wholesale market, given that they will not bear subsequent costs in carrying out the business. This change is meant also to ensure the equality of all participants of the market in the relation with the state, which licenses the carrying out of the entrepreneurial activity.          

Moreover, to exclude the appearance of intermediaries on market and reduce the contraband risk, the cabinet proposes the banning of the wholesale reselling of the oil products.       

The same draft provides for the increase in the quantum of contravention sanctions or the sanctions contained in the Contravention Code at present are not adapted to the realities of the oil products’ market. Thus, according to the draft, the sanctions established in the Contravention Code for the infringement of the legislation in the oil products market sector are to be increase about ten-fold. For instance, while a legal entity can be sanctioned with fine from 4,500 to 6,000 lei for the infringement of the rules of preserving oil products, under the amendments suggested, the sanctions will be from 45,000 to 60,000 lei.      

Photo: Government