DUSHANBE , January 4, Asia-Plus - Uzbekistan has raised the price it charges Tajikistan for gas.

Tajikistan imports 95 percent of its gas from Uzbekistan and with regard to this “Tojikgaz” (Tajik state-run gas concern) has raised gas supplies rate and is charging the population 250 Somonis, including value added tax (VAT) of 12.34 Somonis, per 1,000 cubic meters of natural gas as of January1, compared to 207.67 Somonis last year.

“The gas supplies rate has been raised following a resolution passed by the Tajik Anti-Monopoly Committee on December 30, 2005,” Fayoziddin Sodirov, a spokesman for “Tojikgaz”, has told Asia-Plus.  He has noted that the population who do not have gas meters will pay for gas 6.25 Somonis, including VAT of 0.31 Somonis, per month (for each person living in apartment), compared to 5.19 Somonis last year. 

As it had been reported earlier, Uzbekistan announced in late October 2005 it planned to raise the price for its natural gas to all buyers, which also include Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan .  Uzbekistan justified the decision as based on world market trends and increased extraction and transportation costs.