Fuel sales grow 7.2% until may--Sindicom

RIO DE JANEIRO, June 25 (Reuters)-sales of fuels grew by 7.2 percent from January to may of 2013 compared to the same period last year, in a given that shows the strength of the derived consumption in spite of the deceleration of the Brazilian economy.
The fee covers the performance of companies affiliated to the Union of fuel and lubricant distribution companies (Sindicom), which represents about 80 percent of this market, reported the body on Tuesday.
"Fuel is a separate segment of the economy. Diesel, a Brazilian transport thermometer, still high, "said the Director of the market and Sindicom communication, Cesar.
Also among the highlights, the ethanol sales increased 14.5 percent, with increased production in the Center-South and the exemption of PIS/Cofins, stated the President of Sindicom, Alisio Vaz.
Petrol and diesel consumption kept the pace high, with rates of 5.4 and 4.5 percent in the same period.
The Sindicom earlier released the annual report on the fuel market in 2012, the year in which sales increased 6.7 percent and 118 billion liters were sold.
STOCKS
On occasion, Vaz said that the growth of the derivatives market for consecutive years led to a whole new level of demand that has required investments of distributors.
Concerned with this new level of consumption, the National Agency of petroleum, Natural gas and biofuels (ANP) has decided to impose minimum stocks of oil and oil products both to Petrobras as distributors, in different resolutions for the two segments.
The Sindicom proposed to the agency that the regulations on stocks is unified in a single resolution, said Vaz.
"These rules that are in discussion have to do with this sensational growth. Companies are happy, but this requires more, stocks tanking ".
BUS
The exemption of PIS/Cofins diesel oil to bus companies, proposed by President Rousseff as a result of the protests that led to the revocation of price increases transport fares in several Brazilian cities, might be appropriate for other consumers if there is a control on the part of the jail, said Vaz.
"It's not so simple to manage this volume of diesel that will discharge ... it takes care that do not turn farra do boi," he said.
The collection of taxes is done in refineries, Petrobras, and according to him, there is no control over what is sold to bus companies, and this will have to be thought of.
"Certainly we will be involved in this control," he said.
An idea, he said, is that the charge is normally made and the bus companies are reimbursed directly by the Government after the purchase.
President Dilma defended tax cuts to bus companies to reduce the impacts of reducing transport fares.
Valenzuela estimates that the bus companies consume of 5 to 10 percent of the volume of diesel consumed in the country.