The Government approved on Wednesday a set of amendments to the Law on petroleum products market. Economy Minister Valeriu Lazar stated that the current requirements set to petrol dealers are exaggerated and limit competition on this market, reports Info-Prim Neo. The Minister specified that, first off, it concerns the terms for obtaining a license, which require the capacity to store 5,000 tons, and own capital of minimum 8 million lei. Once these requirements are eliminated, more dealers will have the opportunity to enter the petrol products market, highlighted Valeriu Lazar. Another restriction that was excluded refers to the ban on unlicensed imports of fuels for private consumption. “We have agricultural enterprises that own thousands of hectares of fields. They should have the possibility to self-provide with petrol, whereas the current Law “redirects” them to local middlemen or, eventually, to off-shore companies. If an agricultural firm can find cheaper dealers, it should have the right to import fuels for its own needs without a license”, stated Valeriu Lazar. Other amendments concern changes to the price regulation methods. “The currently effective method only limits the profitability of enterprises in this field (10%). The dealer or the enterprise can write off as liabilities some investments that are not related to their activity on the petrol product market. Thus, there are situations when consumers, through the price they pay either at the panel, or at the pump, also pay for the vacations of some of the petrol companies’ employees. Therefore, we propose a change in the methodology, such that the energy regulator ANRE accepts only liabilities that are immediately related to the production activity”, said the Minister. Another amendment refers to the establishment of prices on petrol at the customs. “Most often, this value includes the transferred profit. At this point intermediary firms get involved, including off-shore ones, and thus, fiscal evasion and consumer pressure emerge. It is important that these profits be taxed in Moldova”, concluded Valeriu Lazar. ANRE Director Victor Parlicov thinks that gasoline and diesel prices could be reduced by 40-60 bani even with the current methodology if all state institutions would do their job right. Among these institutions are the Customs Service, State Tax Inspectorate, Competition Council, etc. According to Parlicov, this amendment was developed and approved in a rush, and ANRE’s evaluation of it is negative. The Law on the Petroleum Products Market was approved in 2001, and amended in 2003.