According to Mehr News Agency, Mohsen Jouhari, Chairman of the CNG Guild Association, addressed journalists stating, "Despite the year's end approaching, the official pricing authority—the Consumer Protection and Producers Support Organization—has yet to finalize the payment of service fees for 1403. In response, numerous CNG station owners have resorted to displaying protest banners, signaling their inability to maintain full, round-the-clock operations without the payment of these assessed fees."
Jouhari emphasized, "Through these banners, CNG stations are reiterating their demand for the complete payment of 1403 service fees, as stipulated by the Consumer Protection Organization, the Parliamentary Energy Commission, the Government-Private Sector Dialogue Council, and the latest minutes of the Government's Economic Commission. Failure to comply will inevitably force stations to downsize their workforce, suspend certain shifts, and reduce production capacity, as sustaining full operational capacity is untenable under current circumstances."
The Chairman of the CNG Guild Association clarified, "It is perplexing that despite the Government-Private Sector Dialogue Council's approval of a 70% increase in service fees for CNG stations in 1402, with the understanding that this adjustment would be effective from the start of 1403, this decision was inexplicably reverted back to the Government's Economic Commissions for further review, pending cabinet approval."
As the year draws to a close, Jouhari highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the payment of 1403 service fees, exacerbating the challenges faced by CNG station owners due to the widespread price increases experienced throughout the year.
Jouhari noted, "The proposed 70% service fee increase, finalized through the Consumer Protection Organization's suggestion and the guild's expert opinions, could have partially offset the increased costs if implemented at the year's beginning. However, this requires cabinet approval, which, for reasons unknown—possibly due to obstruction or opposition from certain organizations—remains in limbo between the economic commissions and the cabinet."
He further expressed the station owners' expectation that the agreements reached within the Government-Private Sector Dialogue Council, endorsed by the Consumer Protection Organization, would be ratified by the cabinet without further hindrance and promptly communicated.
In conclusion, Jouhari lamented, "It appears that 14 months of meticulous, legally compliant work on determining appropriate service fees for stations have been undermined by impromptu, non-expert decisions."
The Chairman of the CNG Guild Association appealed, "We eagerly anticipate that the culmination of months of scrutiny and expert analysis will soon garner the attention and approval of the cabinet, bringing this matter to a swift resolution."
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