fbpx

Environmental Management Laws Amendment Bill

The Select Committee on Land and Mineral Resources invites you to submit written comments on the National Forest Amendment Bill.

The Bill seeks to amend the National Forests Act, 1998, so as to:
• provide for clear definitions of natural forests and woodlands;
• provide for public trusteeship of the nation’s forestry resources;
• increase the promotion and enforcement of sustainable forest management;
• increase the measures provided for in the Act to control and remedy deforestation;
• provide for appeals against decisions taken under delegated powers and duties;
• reinforce offenses and penalties;

You are invited to provide suggestions or comments in support or objection via the form below. Should you be unsure, please read the live comments, media, summary or documents below.   The closing date for submissions is Thursday, 28 February 2019

active citizens in this campaign, so far

Add your comment now.

Error: Contact form not found.

A copy of your message will be sent to you along with an automated proof of receipt. Check your junk mail folder if you can’t find it.

  • In South Africa, while the wholesale price of petrol, diesel and illuminating paraffin (IP) are not regulated, the pump prices (retail prices) of all grades of petrol are regulated and government also sets the Single Maximum National Retail Price (SMNRP) for IP.
  • The regulation of the prices of petroleum products or some control of the prices is meant to protect consumers against high prices and to ensure that markets develop in an orderly manner.
  • The DoE said at the time that the BFP was implemented, South Africa was a net exporter of refined petroleum products.
  • It was first introduced in 1999 as a formula to calculate prices of petroleum products produced by the South African refining industry.
  • “The BPF does not take the true production and associated costs of refining locally but rather takes the view of what the alternative costs would be to import refined product into South Africa, thereby establishing a deemed import parity price. The BFP is a deemed import parity price used as a benchmark to determine domestic fuel prices,” said the department.
  • In 2004, a revised BFP formula was implemented to reflect a true import parity price with the inclusion of stock costs and stock financing among others.
  • The current composition of the BFP includes freight, insurance, cargo dues and ocean leakage, among others.

Reference markets

  • When coming to reference markets, although South Africa was a net exporter of fuels prior to 2006, from time to time fuels were imported to supplement local supply due to refinery shutdowns.
  • Reference markets are referred to as a big refining centres which have huge storage facilities to supply the world with petroleum products.
  • Currently, reference markets used for the BFP for petrol and illuminating paraffin is currently based on the Mediterranean area (50%) and Singapore (50%) and that of middle distillates (diesel and illuminating paraffin).
  • For diesel and illuminating paraffin, it is 50% from the Mediterranean area and 50% from the Arab Gulf.
  • The department recommends that the reference markets be revised as follows: 70% free on board (FOB) Singapore and 30% FOB Arab Gulf for diesel and illuminating paraffin and 60% FOB Singapore and 40% FOB Mediterranean for petrol.
  • These combinations and weighting imply that the Mediterranean would no longer be a reference market for diesel, nullifying concerns relating to the absence of quotations for appropriate Sulphur grades.
  • FOB is the price of the petroleum products on board the vessel and ready to depart.

Freight

  • On freight, which comprises three elements including a 15% premium added to the Average Freight Rate Assessment (AFRA), that the premium should be removed.
  • It said that during investigations this premium could not be justified.
  • The freight rate includes all the costs associated with transporting products from international markets to their respective destinations. The department recommends that the 15% premium should be removed from the freight rate and actual freight costs be obtained from the relevant international pricing agencies.
  • The department envisages that the revised BFP formula will be implemented in 2019 following extensive consultation with stakeholders.
  • The department will consolidate the comments and conduct a workshop before finalising its position on the BFP review.

LIVE COMMENT FEED

Displaying newest 5 comments sent.

DOWNLOAD DOCUMENTS

  • Basic Fuel Price review discussion paper
DearSA-Fuel Price Review

Important to note; this is not a petition but is the first step in an essential Participative Democracy process protected under the SA Constitution. Your comment is immediately sent as a unique email to the designated government representative and must, by law, be acknowledged and considered. Had this been a petition, all comments would be seen as a single collective submission.

By using this service you ensure an accurate record is held by civil society (on our encrypted database) so government cannot dispute facts or figures. This process forms a solid foundation for a legal case should the necessity arise.

dear-ad-banner1