The president of the Dominican Refinery of Petroleum, engineer Rafael Segura, agrees with Pedro Pablo Cabral, president of Shell in the Dominican Republic, that the price difference between leaded and unleaded gasoline should serve to encourage an increased consumption of leaded gasoline and not discourage this. The government increased the tax on gasoline in 1996 in order to increase its collections, primarily used to pay the nation’s foreign debt. Nevertheless, the higher level of tax levied on unleaded gasoline, and the pronounced spread between unleaded and leaded gasoline, led to a decrease in the number of users of unleaded gasoline, considered better for the environment. Pedro Pablo Cabral, of Shell, yesterday advocated a drop in the tax on unleaded gasoline in order to spur an increase in consumption of unleaded fuel versus leaded fuel. Engineer Segura said that a study would have to be carried out before a decision can be made.
