DACO chief reports stability in gasoline prices
By The Star Staff
Consumer Affairs (DACO by its Spanish acronym) Secretary Edan Rivera Rodríguez said Tuesday that the recommended prices for regular gasoline should be between 96.7 and 99.7 cents per liter; for premium gasoline, between 100.7 and 109.7 cents; and for diesel, between 94.7 and 95.7 cents.
“The numbers we are seeing in prices today are similar to those we have seen in the past few days, which means stability in the local market,” Rivera Rodríguez said in a written statement.
“At times like these, where there is a conflict that can destabilize the oil market worldwide, in Puerto Rico, the constant monitoring that we have with gasoline wholesalers and other components of the industry allows us to know, at the end of each day, if the consumer is going to experience fluctuations in retail fuel prices,” he added.
Rivera Rodríguez said DACO inspectors visited gas stations and other outlets where they verified the prices not only of gasoline but also of liquefied gas to ensure compliance with frozen profit margins.
Meanwhile, Senate President José Luis Dalmau Santiago announced on Tuesday the filing of three legislative measures to establish a 180-day moratorium on the collection of taxes on oil and its derivatives (La Crudita) and on inventory.
One of the measures proposes an investigation into the economic impact of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on the island.
“Where does the money come from? The Treasury Department has said that by the end of the fiscal year there will be an $800 million surplus,” Dalmau Santiago said at a press conference. “Well, that $800 million can withstand the impact that the crisis would have on what happens.”
Senate Joint Resolution 239 would order the Municipal Revenue Collections Center, commonly known as CRIMby its Spanish acronym, to observe a 180-day moratorium on the collection of the inventory tax. The same would apply to all material for sale in stores.