Gazprom has scored another victory over the Russian finance ministry, which again proposed hiking taxes on oil and gas companies to help plug the budget deficit. Meeting Wednesday, the government decided against raising the gas export tariff and gas extraction tax in 2010. The finance ministry had proposed raising around 60 billion rubles ($1.91 billion) by raising taxes next year. Gazprom chief Alexei Miller opposed the plan, telling Prime Minister Vladimir Putin that hiking gas sales both at home and abroad would have the same effect (IOD Jul.28,p1). But analysts doubt Gazprom can do it, given the global economic slowdown, and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin has said the government may look at the issue again if Gazprom can't boost sales.
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