The price of natural gas supplied to households is to decrease on average by 3.9% as of Wednesday.
“As of April 1, 2015, the prices for the regulated supply of natural gas to domestic customers will decrease by an average of 3.9% (an average calculated based on the weight of each of the 39 providers that deliver natural gas to domestic consumers on the regulated market)” reads a release posted last week on the website of the National Regulatory Authority for Energy (ANRE). “The household consumers on the regulated market having as supplier SC E.ON Energie Romania SA will be charged with prices of natural gas up by 1.5% as of April 1, for household customers on the regulated market having SC GDF SUEZ Energy Romania SA as supplier of natural gas the supply prices will be lower by approx. 9%,” reads the release.
The differences between the two suppliers were determined by partial recovery by SC E.ON Energie Romania SA of the acquisition cost of natural gas imported during 2008-2012.
On the other hand, the excise duty for cigarettes is changed; the specific excise duty on cigarettes for the period April 1, 2015 – March 31, 2016 is ROB 314.68/1,000 cigarettes, according to the order issued by the Ministry of Finance, published by the Official Gazette.
The specific excise set last year for the April 1, 2014 – March 31, 2015 was of EUR 59.77 (RON 283.19 at the rate of RON 4.738/EUR and EUR 62.65 at the rate of RON 4.52/EUR).
In 2015, the denomination of the excise was changed into RON, but the conversion was done all at the artificial exchange rate of RON 4.74/EUR, the reference to the EU being done at the ECB corresponding exchange rate for 2015 of RON 4.41/EUR.
The total excise duty from April 1, 2015 is of RON 412.19, representing EUR 86.96 at the exchange rate of RON 4.74/EUR or EUR 93.19 at the rate of RON 4.41/EUR and the specific excise amounts to RON 314.68 – EUR 71, 35 (real) and EUR 66.38 (artificial).