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Petrol station cheats face stronger action
Petrol station proprietors who defraud their customers could face criminal prosecution rather than a fine or having their business licenses suspended, or cancelled, in the new year.
The Ministry of Science and Technology has asked Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to approve its proposed harsher penalties.
The fine of defrauding customers now stands at 20-30 million VND (1,176-1,765 USD) for each offence.
It is far too lenient when compared with the billions of dong in illegal profits petrol owners can earn, according to Vietnam Standards and Consumers Association (Vinastas) deputy chairman Ho Tat Thang.
A petrol station chiselling just 5 percent for a litre, or 550 VND, can illegally earn 5 million VND (294 USD) from the sale of 10,000 litres.
The new regulations should also include provisions to recover the illegal profit from the gas stations, the deputy chairman said.
Petrol vendor Mai Xuan Hung of Hanoi ’s Thai Thinh Street argues that the cheats thrive because they are checked only once or twice a year.
Science and technology ministry chief inspector Tran Minh Dung said the heavier punishments were needed as unscrupulous practices become more sophisticated and popular.
The ministry said the number of stations fixing the chips to regulate petrol gauges in their favour has risen to 7 percent from 0.5 percent in 2003.
The change causes the amount of petrol shown on the pump to be higher than the actual amount provided to customers.
Ministry figures show that 797 of 4,441 petrol stations across the country were caught short changing their customers with inaccurate pumps and low-quality petrol this year.
They were fined 3.818 billion VND (224,000 USD) with more than 70 gasoline stations having their licenses revoked.
Vinastas also wants the new regulations to remove 83-octane petrol from the market because it is mixed with other, more expensive types of fuel, to maximise profit.
Regulations governing the provision of petrol stations were needed so that the source of any contamination of quality was easily traced, said Nguyen Quang Kien of Petrolimex.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Public Security and local authorities, will be asked to help stop the defrauding of customers.
vna
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