Russia's government has delayed by at least two years a proposal to change the excise duty on gasoline, the Kommersant daily reported Wednesday.
A proposal to lower the excise tax on domestic gasoline standards Euro-4 and Euro-5 and increase excise duty on low-quality gasoline in order to stimulate the consumption of higher-quality fuels, has been postponed until at least 2011 as neither producers nor consumers are ready for such a change, the paper said.
Under the draft law, excise tax on Euro-4 and Euro-5 would be set at 3,170 rubles ($134.2) a metric ton in 2009 and 2010 and RUB3,500 a ton in 2011 down from RUB3,629 a ton this year.
At the same time, the excise on Euro-3 and lower-quality standards was set to rise to RUB3,900 a ton in 2010 and RUB4,200 a ton in 2011 up from the current RUB3,629 a ton.