While RON95 petrol could rise 20 sen soon, pump price for petrol in Singapore dips....

The pump price of RON95 petrol could go up by as much as 20 sen next month to RM2.10 per litre as the cost of subsidising the fuel has tripled following unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, AmResearch has said.

The investment research firm estimated Putrajaya is now subsidising at least 90 sen per litre of RON95 versus the intended 30 sen per litre after global crude oil prices surged to US$99 per barrel from US$79 per barrel last year, matching the US$100 per barrel recorded in 2008.

Putrajaya said yesterday it will announce the decision on controversial subsidy cuts next week, even as pressure mounts on it to call off the exercise amid growing inflation.

“Within this one week... we will decide whether to continue with the petrol, diesel and gas subsidies,” Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was quoted by Bernama Online. Read here.

Meanwhile in Singapore, pump prices for petrol and diesel fell for the second time in as many weeks as simmering worries about the global economy weighed on oil prices. US oil giant Caltex made the first move when it lowered pump prices by three cents a litre across the board at 6pm yesterday, the Straits Times daily reported today. The island republic’s Singapore Petroleum Co (SPC) matched the reduction at 7pm, followed by Anglo-Dutch giant Shell at 9pm. Esso — the largest retailer here — was the last to react, lowering prices at 10 this morning.

After the adjustment, 95 and 92-octane petrols at SPC and Caltex are S$2.04 (RM4.90) and S$1.99 a litre respectively. SPC’s 98 is S$2.09 while Caltex’s 98 — which it pegs against Shells’ V-Power — is S$2.175 a litre. Straits Times said Shell fuels remained the costliest. Its 95 and 98-octane petrols are S$2.045 and S$2.095 a litre respectively, while its V-Power is S$2.304. It does not sell 92-octane.Diesel at SPC and Caltex is S$1.60 a litre, while the fuel at Shell is S$1.603 a litre. All rates are before station discounts, the paper said. Read here.




Harga petrol RON95 dijangka mengalami kenaikan 20 sen bulan depan, mencecah RM2.10 seliter, selepas kos subsidi meningkat tiga kali ganda kesan pergolakan politik di rantau Timur Tengah dan utara Afrika, demikian menurut AmResearch. Firma penyelidikan pelaburan itu menganggarkan Putrajaya kini memperuntukkan subsidi sehingga 90 sen seliter bagi petrol RON95 berbanding 30 sen seliter yang disasarkan selepas harga minyak mentah dunia naik sehingga AS$99 setong daripada AS$79 setong tahun lalu — hampir sama dengan paras AS$100 setong pada 2008.

Kali terakhir harga RON95 naik ialah pada Disember lalu sebanyak lima sen kepada RM1.90 seliter. RON97 sudah naik empat kali tahun ini termasuk awal bulan ini untuk dijual RM2.90 seliter sekarang. Minggu lalu, Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob berkata kenaikan harga petrol RON95 mungkin berlaku dan oleh itu, rakyat perlu bersedia untuk menghadapinya.
Dalam satu kenyataan petang semalam, Ketua Pembangkang Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim menjangkakan tarif elektrik dinaikkan bulan depan, tetapi mahu pentadbiran Najib mengkaji balik konsesi pengeluar tenaga bebas (IPP) dengan Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) agar tidak membebankan rakyat.

Di sebalik kenyataan demi kenyataan mengenai kemungkinan pemotongan bakal dibuat oleh Putrajaya, beliau berkata, beliau sudah sekian lama menegaskan sekitar RM22 bilion subsidi gas yang diberi kepada IPP tidak memberi makna kepada rakyat, sebaliknya ia hanya memberi keuntungan kepada ahli perniagaan dan kroni rapat dengan pemerintah.

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