On Tuesday night, the price of a liter of gasoline was raised to SYP 80. The government, as usual, issued the resolution through the Ministry of Domestic Trade and closed fuel stations on the ground that it needed to measure gasoline supplies and to assess issues related to the new pricing scheme.
Gasoline prices have risen SYP 15 in two months. The price had already risen from SYP 55 to SYP 65 per liter before the latest increase.
One economist said transportation fees for public and private vehicles will rise as a result, while the black market price for gasoline will likely rise even further.
Recent estimates published on pro-government websites said transportation fees will rise an average of 200 to 300 per cent, both within cities and between provinces.
Transportation fees have already doubled and are expected to rise again as a result of the new gasoline prices.
One website points out that "the transportation fee for a pick-up truck carrying three metric tons and travelling between Damascus and Latakia is now SYP 25,000, while the transportation fee for a lorry carrying 10 tons has reached SYP 75,000 to SYP 100,000. The transportation fees for a small truck carrying less than one ton and travelling inside the province could reach as much as SYP 2,000-3,000, depending on the distance.
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