The Mejía administration gave in to the demands made by gasoline station owners and eliminated a provision that permitted price competition. Gasoline and diesel will again have fixed prices in the DR. The Asociación Nacional de Detallistas de Gasolina (Anadegas) requested the elimination of the free market provision as a condition to accept a reduction in their profit margins from 12.5% to 10.6%. The government had reduced their profit margins in its last fuel increase to 9.8%, which they negotiated up to 10.6%. At a meeting at the National Palace, the government also accepted to renegotiate the profitability margins once petroleum prices return to a US$18 the barrel level. When journalists asked Minister Angel Lockward about the negative implication for consumers of the decision, he had no comments. Non-Anadegas member, Antonio Turbí had seen sales at his three gas stations in Santo Domingo, La Romana and Santiago go up 100% by reducing RD$1 on gasoline sales. The Listin Diario editorialized, "it is prohibited to sell cheap," regarding the government decision to eliminate free market conditions for gasoline and diesel sales.
