Rewritten Title: Fuel Cost Analysis Sparks Debate: Parliament Member Disputes “Imaginary” 70,000 Toman Figure
Article:
A member of Iran’s Parliament Economic Commission has entered a growing debate over fuel costs, providing a detailed breakdown to counter what he labels as unrealistic price estimates.
Clarifying the Record
In an interview, Hossein Samsami, the representative for Tehran, Rey, Shemiranat, Eslamshahr, and Pardis, addressed recent claims about the production cost of gasoline. He clarified that his previous analyses aimed to illuminate the structure of government expenditures and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any specific pricing policy.
A Breakdown of Direct Costs
Detailing the government’s direct financial outlay, Samsami explained that the state’s cost for each liter of gasoline is estimated at less than 2,000 tomans. He broke down the components:
- Extraction: The cost of crude oil extraction is covered by 14.5% of oil sale revenues, meaning it does not impose a direct financial burden on the public budget.
- Refining: The refining process is conducted on a barter basis; the government provides crude oil to refineries and receives refined products in return, incurring no direct monetary cost at this stage.
- Logistics & Distribution: The two areas with real monetary costs for the government are transportation and station commissions, estimated at 800 tomans and 650 tomans per liter, respectively.
The “National Capital” Factor
Samsami strongly emphasized that the sub-2,000 toman figure does not represent the true economic cost of gasoline. “The under-2,000 toman number does not mean the real final cost of gasoline in the country’s economy,” he stated, “because the real value of crude oil as a national asset is not included in this calculation.”
He argued that natural resources belong to the people and their valuation cannot be simplistically based on international prices without considering the broader national economic context, including domestic income levels.
Dismissing “Imaginary” Calculations
The lawmaker directly addressed recent comments from the government’s spokesperson, Fattaneh Mahagerani, who had cited a final cost of approximately 70,000 tomans per liter. Samsami firmly rejected this estimate, describing it as “unrealistic and imaginary.”
“These numbers have no scientific or executive basis and have been done without study and precision,” he asserted, adding that the spokesperson “needs to be more careful” with such statements.
The clarification from the Economic Commission member highlights the complex considerations involved in national fuel pricing, reinforcing that current subsidized pricing for citizens’ quotas remains unchanged.