RIL may be allowed to sell diesel in domestic market

RIL may be allowed to sell diesel in domestic market

New Delhi, Aug. 19 With the diesel demand showing an 18-per cent growth and oil companies depending on imports to bridge the gap, the Government is considering changes in tax norms to allow refineries in export-oriented units such as Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) to feed the domestic market.

It is also mulling a differential pricing for power and other industrial consumers of the fuel.
After a review meeting with the chiefs of PSU oil companies here on Tuesday, the Petroleum Minister, Mr Murli Deora, said that a consistent, long-term pricing policy for diesel is required – one which would balance social concerns with business realities. The Ministry was seeking changes in tax rules to allow EOU refineries to supply petroleum products to PSU refiners.

Mr Sarthak Behuria, Chairman, Indian Oil Corporation Ltd, told news persons that “We have written to Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) and the Commerce Ministry in this regard, and if the Finance Ministry also approves it, we will be able to buy diesel from Reliance as is the case with LPG.”

An EOU refinery will have to pay both customs and excise duty for selling the products in the domestic market. The excise duty comprises two components - ad valorem and specific. Currently, the EOU will have to face double taxation in specific.

In addition, the company will have to pay income-tax on its profits when it sells fuel in the domestic tariff area (DTA). “It is being examined if domestic sales by Reliance in the DTA can be given a ‘deemed export status’ and it continues to get income-tax waiver,” he said. RIL already enjoys a deemed export status for selling LPG to the PSUs.

Surge in demand
Mr Behuria said that industrial use of subsidised diesel was pushing up demand and forcing the refiners to increase imports. The output by Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation together in 2008-09 was estimated at 39.49 million tonne, with the demand being at 54.79 m.t.While transport and agriculture demand for diesel had grown by 10-12 per cent, consumption by power producers and other industries had risen 30 per cent.

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RIL may get export perks for diesel sales

Aiming to meet the shortfall of diesel, which has witnessed exponential demand growth, the government is considering a proposal to declare Reliance Industries' sales of the fuel domestically as deemed exports.

State-owned oil marketing companies, which will import about 3.5 million tonnes of diesel this financial year —about 20 per cent more than last year — to meet higher demand growth, say it would be cheaper to buy from Reliance Industries’ refinery if it is given the deemed export status as compared with importing diesel. If granted, these public sector companies will not have to pay transportation charges and taxes such as customs duty.

“The gap between domestic diesel production and demand can be made good by the private sector refineries,” said Sarthak Behuria, chairman and managing director of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the largest oil marketing and crude oil refining company in the country. Demand for diesel grew by 18 per cent between April-July as against government-owned refineries, which can meet about 12 per cent growth in demand, Behuria said.

ON DEMAND
The government is considering a proposal to declare RIL's sales of diesel domestically as deemed exports
The government move comes against the backdrop of exponential diesel demand growth
State-owned oil marketing companies were planning to import about 3.5 million tonne of diesel this financial year
It was about 20 per cent more than last year
The firms say the gap between domestic diesel production and demand can be made good by the private sector refineries

Oil marketing companies, including Bharat Petroleum Corporation and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation, will soon send a formal proposal to the government on removing taxes on domestic diesel sales from RIL’s refinery.
Early last year, RIL’s 33 million-tonne-per-annum refinery at Jamnagar, Gujarat, was granted export-oriented status, which allows the refinery to export products at zero duty. The refinery, which produces about 12 million tonne of diesel every year, will have to pay customs as well as excise duty on the fuel if it sells it in the domestic markets. The two taxes will raise the price of the fuel by more than Rs 9 a litre.
Coupled with the absence of transportation costs and insurance, the price at which the marketing companies buy from the Reliance refinery could be at least 30 per cent cheaper than the imported fuel.
The Reliance refinery already sells cooking gas in the domestic market after the product was given deemed export status last year.

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Source:BS,BL