"Last year the use of subsidized fuel oil exceeded the target to reach up to 42 million kiloliters, but now we ask that the 38.6 million kiloliters should be maintained," the minister said here on Monday.
He said that in order to maintain the target, regulations on the use of subsidized fuel oil must be implemented as soon as possible and should not be delayed again.
Agus said that the regulation should have been implemented in October last year when it was predicted that the use of subsidized fuel oils would increase sharply.
"We cannot yet implement the regulation last year, no can early this year so that infrastructure for that end should be built first. After all in Jakarta not all of gasoline stations were equipped with pertamx oil tanks so that the implementation of the regulation was pushed back until last April. Yet it has now been delayed again," the minister said.
The minister expected that an effective solution would be found as the consumption volumes of fuel oil had up to now increased seven percent compared with that in the same period last year.
"The volume of fuel oil consumption in the first quarter of this year has exceeded the consumption in the same period last year by seven percent," Agus said.
Acting chief of the finance ministry`s fiscal affairs Bambang Brodjonegoro said if there was no clear policy regarding the subsidized fuel oil consumption, an additional quota in the 2011 revised budget would be needed.
"There must be additional budget like the one last year but we cannot yet calculate its volume. The volume of the subsidized fuel oil will increase," he said. (*)
Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
