AMMAN –– The Cabinet decided last month to raise gas stations’ royalties from 9.8 fils per litre of fuel to 12 fils per litre, according to the Official Gazette.

In an unpublicised decision taken on May 26 and published in the gazette, the Council of Ministers also increased the royalties of cooking gas distributors in northern and central governorates from JD0.89 to JD0.97 per cylinder.

The decision went into effect on June 1, according to the gazette.

In mid-March, gas stations threatened to stop ordering oil derivatives from the Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company due to a dispute with the fuel supplier over royalties.

They demanded that the government double their royalties from 1.6 per cent of the price of a litre of fuel to 4 per cent, or 20 fils per litre.

At the time, Gas Station Owners Association (GSOA) President Fahed Al Fayez told The Jordan Times that the association had requested that the increase in royalties be achieved by reducing the price at which gasoline was sold to distributors.

Fayez declined to comment on the government’s decision.

Gas stations insisted previously that raising the royalties would enable them to improve their services and the quality of fuel they provide.

According to the GSOA, there are 372 gas stations operating in the country.