The transfer of gasoline quotas from fuel cards to bank cards has been seriously pursued by the government in recent months. This plan has reached the implementation stage due to the rising costs of fuel supply and the imbalance of gasoline in the country. The main goal of this action is to change the method of gasoline subsidy distribution and to make the subsidy allocation process clearer for actual fuel consumers. However, some experts believe that merely changing the tool for quota allocation cannot alone solve issues such as high consumption, smuggling, and fuel imbalance.
Details of the Plan to Transfer Quotas to Bank Cards
The government has taken measures to facilitate the implementation of this plan by providing the necessary infrastructure. As of September 8, the third rate of gasoline has increased to 10,000 tomans, while the subsidized rates of 1,500 and 3,000 tomans remain in place. Experts point out that changing the location of quota allocation to bank cards may not resolve the gasoline imbalance and that the roots of the crisis may lie in other areas such as smuggling and high vehicle consumption.
Challenges of Imbalance and Its Impacts
Mohammad Javad Noufresti, an energy expert, believes that before implementing any policy, its goal must be clear, and the chosen tool must genuinely be able to reduce gasoline consumption. According to him, merely changing prices or reducing quotas does not necessarily lead to reduced consumption and may only increase government revenue and put more pressure on households.
Noufresti also points out that if a quota is allocated to individuals and the possibility of trading it in the market is created, the consequences for the market and consumers must be carefully examined. Transferring quotas to bank cards can be a structural reform in the subsidy distribution system, but it will not solve the imbalance problem by itself.
Part of the fuel imbalance problem is related to high-consumption vehicles. Noufresti believes that as long as high-consumption vehicles are produced in large quantities, pricing and quota policies alone cannot solve the imbalance. He suggests that reducing tariffs on low-consumption vehicles and developing CNG can help reduce gasoline consumption. According to him, developing CNG can shift gasoline demand to alternative fuels.
Now that the government is pursuing the plan to transfer quotas to bank cards, decision-making about the future of gasoline has become a multifaceted issue. Increasing prices or changing the quota allocation tool is only part of the fuel policy and cannot replace structural reforms. Noufresti believes that the government should engage with the public about the real dimensions of imbalance and the costs of excessive consumption and provide solutions for reducing actual consumption.
