MOSCOW, February 21 (RIA Novosti) - The Finance Ministry said Tuesday it would be impossible to raise export duties on crude and oil products in a bid to curb fuel price increases.
Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Shatalov said it would be difficult to curb fuel price hikes given the constantly increasing world prices for crude and oil products.
"The administrative room for maneuver is minimal," he said. "The [current] conditions show that the [fuel] prices will continue to grow. We are hoping the growth will be slow."
He said that in a bid to curb price growth, the government had already decided not to index excises for oil products in 2006 and in 2007.
"Maybe in the future, excises will be differentiated, but not in 2007," Shatalov said.
