据普氏能源资讯8月23日报道，韩国政府周五表示，由于政府决定不延长为期9个月的燃料减税政策，韩国的汽车燃料需求预计将从9月份开始下滑。

一位财政部官员表示，经济财政部不会延长对汽车燃料的临时减税，减税将于8月31日结束。

从去年11月6日到今年5月5日，环保部连续6个月将汽油、丁烷等汽车燃料的税率下调了15%，以帮助在韩国经济放缓之际降低消费者的成本。

今年5月，由于经济长期放缓，政府将减税政策延长了4个月，至8月底，但减税幅度已从5月6日降至7%。石油税将从9月1日起全面恢复。”他指出，这一决定在很大程度上是出于对该国经济放缓之际税收收入不断减少的担忧。

这位官员表示:“随着减税政策的结束，汽车燃油零售价格将上涨，这将影响到国内的石油需求。”

据韩国国家石油公司(Korea National Oil Corp.)的数据，税收占汽油零售价格的55%，汽油价格的46%，丁烷价格的30%，这促使消费者要求减税。受减税政策的推动，今年上半年韩国消耗了8557万桶汽油，较上年同期的8221万桶增长4.1%。

今年1-6月，汽油消费量同比增长4.1%，至4061万桶，高于去年同期的3,900万桶。今年第二季度汽油平均价格为每升1,489韩元(合1.23美元)，较上年同期的1,580韩元下降5.8%。

零售汽油价格第二季度也升至平均每升1,361韩元，较上年同期的1,380韩元下跌1.4%。但这位官员表示，由于国际油价疲软，原油进口成本下降，这有助于缓冲石油减税政策的结束。

韩国原油进口企业第二季度的平均价格为69.4美元/桶，较上年同期的74.8美元/桶下降7.2%。

王佳晶 摘译自 普氏能源资讯

原文如下：

South Korea's auto fuel demand likely to slide with end of tax relief

South Korea's auto fuel demand is expected to slide from September as the government has decided not to extend nine-month tax cut on the fuels, government officials said Friday.

"The Ministry of Economy and Finance will not extend the temporary tax cut on auto fuels, so the tax cut will come to an end on August 31," a ministry official said.

The ministry lowered taxes on the auto fuels -- gasoline, gasoil and butane -- by 15% for six months from November 6 last year until May 5 this year to help lower consumers' costs amid the country's slowing economy.

In May, the government extended the tax cut by four months until the end of August amid the country's protracted economic slowdown, but the rate of the tax reduction had been reduced to 7% from May 6.

"The oil taxes will be fully restored from September 1," the official said, noting the decision was largely driven by concerns about the country's dwindling tax revenues amid its economic slowdown.

"With the end of tax cut, retail auto fuel prices would rise, which would affect the country's oil demand," the official said.

Taxes account for 55% of the retail gasoline price, 46% of the gasoil price, and 30% of the butane price, according to Korea National Oil Corp., which had prompted consumers to ask for a tax reduction.

South Korea consumed 85.57 million barrels of gasoil for the first six months this year, up 4.1% from 82.21 million barrels from a year earlier, driven by the tax cut, KNOC data showed.

Gasoline consumption also rose 4.1% year on the year to 40.61 million barrels over January-June, compared with 39 million barrels in the same period last year.

Pump prices of gasoline averaged Won 1,489/liter ($1.23/liter) in the second quarter this year, down 5.8% from Won 1,580 /l a year earlier, according to KNOC.

Retail gasoil prices also rose to average Won 1,361/l in Q2, down 1.4% from Won 1,380/l in the year-ago period.

But the country's lower crude imports costs due to weak international prices can help buffer the end of oil tax cut, the official said.

South Korean crude oil importers paid on average of $69.4/b in Q2, down 7.2% from $74.8/b, a year earlier, according to KNOC.