GOVT'S NET PROFIT FROM PREMIUM SALES RP 3.3 TRILLION IN DEC-JAN PERIOD

Jakarta, Feb 20 (ANTARA) - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani told the House fuel oil Inquiry Committee in Jakarta on Thursday that net income from the sale of premium gasoline from December 2008 to January 2009 reached Rp3.3 trillion.

She said that the result of a final audit of December 1-14, 2008 shows that the government booked Rp990 billion in profits, on the basis of the retail price of premium gasoline after tax of Rp5,500 per liter. The price of premium gasoline before is Rp4,782.l61 per liter with a volume of 839,071 kiloliters and a reference price of Rp2,892.70 per liter.
In December 15-20, 2008, the government booked a profit of Rp250 billion, on the basis of the price of premium gasoline after tax of Rp5,000,- per liter, while the price of the gasoline before tax was Rp4,347.83 per liter with a volume of 340,844 kiloliters and a reference price of Rp289.70 per liter.
"Bringing the total net income from the premium gasoline sales in December to Rp1.24 trillion," he said. In the December 21-31, 2008 period, he said, he has yet to receive a report from Pertamina and the audit result by the Supreme Audit Board (BPK).
The notes in the explanation of the finance minister during the meeting said that the income has already been paid to the state coffers, namely Rp1.2 trillion in 2008, and Rp40 billion in 2009.
In the meantime, in January 2009, she said the total net income from the premium gasoline sales reached Rp2.06 trillion covering two periods. Firstly, in January 1-14, 2009, the government earned a profit of Rp980 billion, based on the premium gasoline sales price after tax of Rp5,000,- per liter, while the price of premium gasoline before tax reached Rp4,347.83 per liter with a volume of 672.293 thousand kiloliters at a reference price of Rp2,892.70 per liter.
Secondly, in January 15-31, 2009, the government booked a profit of Rp1.09 trillion, based on the price of premium gasoline after tax of Rp4,500,- per liter, while the price before tax was Rp3,913.04 per liter with a volume of 1.064 million kiloliters, and a reference price of Rp2,892.70 per liter.
In the meantime, for February 2009, has not launched the results, but based on the MOPS price by February 17, 2008, the governmenmt needs to subsidice the price of premium gasoline by Rp696 per liter. This figure is obtained from the rupiah exchange rate of Rp12,000 per US dollar and MOPS 56.54 US dollars per barrels, and alpha eight percent, bringing the reference price to Rp4,609 per liter, whereas the price before tax had been set at Rp3,913.
Member of the House Inquiry Committee Dradjad H Wibowo said the government has no reason not to lower the price of premium gasoline.
In this context he pointed out that the government needs to immediately lower the price, because he said the current price in Indonesia is the highest compared to those in other countries. "The government needs to lower the price of premium, and the price should not be more than Rp3,900," he said.***