June 11, 2007 |
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Venezuela: "Gasoline must be cheap in the oil country"
![The owner of the vehicle has paid 3,085 bolivares for 31,79 litres of gasoline. "1 Euro!" - she said with laughter.](/noticias/2007/gasolinavenezuela_acc5.jpg "The owner of the vehicle has paid 3,085 bolivares for 31,79 litres of gasoline. "1 Euro!" - she said with laughter.")
Visitors of our site have noticed that there are no posters with large digits of current prices for gasoline on the numerous photographs of Venezuela. The thing is that there is no need for such posters: the price for gasoline has not been changed for 20 years already, and is still at the minimal level. Consumer pays more for a litre of mineral water, than for a litre of gasoline. Neoliberal theoretics regard this as blasphemous breach of capitalist market economic laws.
They prefer not to remember about these Bolivarian "laughable prices" for gasoline in the former socialistic camp countries where the power reserves were greedily privatised disregarding the opinion of the people and the law. 60 litres fuelling in Venezuela costs around 6,000 bolivares (the official rate is 2,150 bolivares for 1 US dollar), that is fuelling costs less than 3 dollars (or 78 our roubles).
The president of the state, Hugo Chavez, like all his predecessors does not hurry to increase the prices for gasoline, as he is well informed about the predominant point of view in Venezuelan society: "Gasoline must be cheap in the oil country!" The real nationalization of the oil industry provided Bolivarian government with necessary controls for power industry, allowed to spend the profits for social needs and rapidly increase the living standards of the lowest (and not only) social strata. Fair distribution of oil profits through social services, worthy salaries, free public health service, wide range of educational programs (from kindergartens to universities, including the universities for the "third age"), etc. All that gives the government of H. Chavez the support of its people (60-65%).
Due to the cheap gasoline, Venezuelan "automobilization and motorization" beats all the records. It is not a problem for Venezuelan pensioner to go to the country or to the beach. It has almost no effect on his pension.
On the photo: The owner of the vehicle has paid 3,085 bolivares for 31,79 litres of gasoline. "1 Euro!" - she said with laughter.
They prefer not to remember about these Bolivarian "laughable prices" for gasoline in the former socialistic camp countries where the power reserves were greedily privatised disregarding the opinion of the people and the law. 60 litres fuelling in Venezuela costs around 6,000 bolivares (the official rate is 2,150 bolivares for 1 US dollar), that is fuelling costs less than 3 dollars (or 78 our roubles).
The president of the state, Hugo Chavez, like all his predecessors does not hurry to increase the prices for gasoline, as he is well informed about the predominant point of view in Venezuelan society: "Gasoline must be cheap in the oil country!" The real nationalization of the oil industry provided Bolivarian government with necessary controls for power industry, allowed to spend the profits for social needs and rapidly increase the living standards of the lowest (and not only) social strata. Fair distribution of oil profits through social services, worthy salaries, free public health service, wide range of educational programs (from kindergartens to universities, including the universities for the "third age"), etc. All that gives the government of H. Chavez the support of its people (60-65%).
Due to the cheap gasoline, Venezuelan "automobilization and motorization" beats all the records. It is not a problem for Venezuelan pensioner to go to the country or to the beach. It has almost no effect on his pension.
On the photo: The owner of the vehicle has paid 3,085 bolivares for 31,79 litres of gasoline. "1 Euro!" - she said with laughter.