What is the real cost of 1 liter of gasoline?

2024 Author: Seth Attwood | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 15:55

Today, the average cost of gasoline is 45 rubles, and in Moscow and the Moscow region there are already gas stations with gasoline for 50 rubles. An increase in the price of gasoline and diesel is always an increase in the price of all goods and, first of all, food. But who among us wondered what the real cost of gasoline is?

Before answering this question, let's remember the prices for gasoline 20 years ago, which was at gas stations in '98. The price of gasoline fluctuated at the level of 2-6 rubles and by 1999 had stabilized at the level of 7 rubles. As a result, over the past 20 years, gasoline prices have increased tenfold. It should be noted that gasoline was sold at 2 rubles per liter, and it was profitable, it was not unprofitable for the mining companies. Since 98, the cost of a barrel of oil began to grow, so in 98 the price was 12 dollars per barrel, in 2000 - 28, in 2005 - 54, at its peak, Brent oil was sold at 135 dollars per barrel. Along with the growth of a barrel of oil, the price of gasoline rose. But in our time, the situation has become anecdotal when the cost of oil falls, but the price of gasoline continues to rise.

Why is that? The first reason is the sale of gasoline within the country at market prices. Suppose the state sells gasoline cheaper within the country. There is a risk that tons of cheap gasoline will be exported from the country. But for some reason, in Venezuela, retail gasoline is sold for less than one ruble, and no one takes it out. In all producing countries, the cost of gasoline inside the country is orders of magnitude lower than on the world market. Here are examples translated into rubles: in Saudi Arabia, gasoline costs 14 rubles, in Iran, which lives under sanctions, 20 rubles.

Let's say that the state still cannot close the export of cheap gasoline at the border, but then a trade deduction can be made for the population. A Russian bought gasoline at a gas station, showed his passport and received a 90% discount, and all foreign citizens and those who buy gasoline in tanks can be sold at the same regular price.

The second reason is the exorbitant taxation of the population and the loving attitude towards mining companies. So we, as the end consumer, pay 60% tax on the cost of gasoline. At the same time, the tax burden on oil producing companies is several times lower and does not exceed 30%, and on average is at the level of 20%. So, Rosneft and Surgutneftegaz give to the treasury 30% of the proceeds, Tatneft 25%, Gazprom, Bashneft 20%, NOVATEK 15%, Lukoil and NNK 10%. What's this? What are the 10%? For example, in the United Arab Emirates, the share of money coming to the treasury from the proceeds is 90%. and in the world as a whole, the share of the tax burden on oil companies is kept at the level of 70-75%, but not like ours is 10-30%.

And so, over two decades, the price on the world market has grown 10 times, but this does not mean that the cost of oil production has grown by 10 orders of magnitude. No, on the contrary, oil companies only reduce costs and production costs. So from the media you can hear that the cost of oil production in Russia is $ 20 per barrel. And what do the oilmen think about this? Not so long ago, the head of Rosneft, Igor Sechin, estimated the cost of production at the company's fields at less than three dollars a barrel. Also, Kirill Molodtsov, Deputy Energy Minister, who left his post, said that the cost of producing a barrel of oil averages about two dollars, for hard-to-recover reserves and offshore projects - 20 dollars. It turns out that the cost of oil is $ 2-3, and the cost of oil production at $ 20 is just a few wells. And these are not the words of a yellow rag, but the words of oil workers, ministers, top managers of companies. You can also catch the media of cheating on the cost of oil refining, so we are told that only 20% of gasoline is produced from oil due to the low technological base and therefore the cost of oil refining in Russia is high. And what does Deputy Energy Minister Anton Inyutsyn think on this score, we quote: the resource base remains one of the most competitive in the world. In other words, the data on the cost of oil refining are embellished 5 times.

And so, let's calculate the real cost of Russian gasoline. According to the oilmen, $ 2-3 is the cost of producing one barrel of oil, let's take a large value of $ 3. The cost of the dollar at the moment is almost 70 rubles. And that 1 barrel of oil comes out to us at 210 rubles. 1 barrel of oil is 159 liters, we divide rubles by liters and we get the cost of a liter of oil - 1 ruble 32 kopecks.

Next, the oil needs to be converted into gasoline. Now the refinery margin is 300% of the cost of oil, knowing that this figure is 5 times overstated, we can conclude that the cost of refining oil is 60% of the cost of oil. In total, we add 60% to 1 ruble 32 kopecks and we get the total price of 2 rubles 12 kopecks. The costs of oil production and refining over the past twenty years have not increased dramatically, just as 20 years ago they can sell gasoline at 2 rubles per liter. Even if a trade margin of 20% and state taxes of 60% are added here, the final price of gasoline will not exceed 4 rubles. An increase in the price on the stock exchange does not mean an increase in the cost of oil. The price on the exchange depends on speculators, the volume of production and consumption, and the price also jumps from the turbulent situation in oil-producing countries. In our country and, for example, in Saudi Arabia, the cost of oil production is $ 2-3, in the UK at $ 50 per barrel, but in Canada the cost of oil production reaches $ 120-150. And at current prices, it is not feasible for production, which cannot be said about our oil.

Let's summarize. Domestic gasoline is sold at prices 20 times higher than the cost price. Oil companies pay an average of 20% of their proceeds to the treasury, selling gasoline for 50 rubles at a cost of 2 rubles.

Now let's imagine that not 20% of the revenue falls into the budget, but 90%. How would this increase the budget utilization rate? And what if the domestic gasoline price were drastically reduced? Or, under capitalism, all these are terrible bedtime stories, because the peace of the oil and gas magnates cannot be disturbed. Or maybe all this is not true and the cost of gasoline is very close to the current price, and poor oil and gas corporations are barely making ends meet? Write in the comments what you think about this, show us where we were wrong, give your numbers and calculations, many will be interested to look at them.