The Iron Curtain Descends on the Illegal Market
In a turn that will shake the foundations of the black hydrocarbon market, the regulations of the Hydrocarbon Sector Law stand as the definitive sword. Its mission: to define, with surgical precision, the terrifying scope of the solidarity responsibility of companies. This figure, a legal time bomb introduced to annihilate the illicit fuel trade, promises a scenario of devastating consequences for offenders, according to the revelations of the GMB consulting firm.
The master of ceremonies of this new order, Víctor Govea, president of the consulting firm specializing in energy, reveals in a serious voice how this legal weapon, already enshrined in the Customs Law, has been transplanted with unprecedented ferocity to the Hydrocarbon Sector Law since last March. It is a calculated move, a master move in the great chess of national energy policy.
A Steel Fence: The Responsibility That Changes Everything
“They have taken this figure from the customs clearance,” Govea declares with the solemnity of someone announcing a point of no return, “and they have brought it, unstoppable, directly on the importer. And now, the regulations must provide, in each comma and each line, the absolute scope of all this solidary responsibility that will fall, like a slab, on the importer“. Each word sounds like an irrevocable sentence.
But this is just the beginning. The regulatory text under development is emerging as an omnipresent control document. It must detail, with exasperating detail, the customs through which the precious liquid will be allowed to enter, the type of transportation authorized, and even the most intimate details of the clients. Even the requirements to obtain an import or marketing permit will be scrutinized under a relentless magnifying glass. The competent authorities will not stop there; They are preparing to toughen to the unimaginable the requirements not only to obtain a permit, but to maintain it, especially in the event of the slightest breach of the regulations that govern the sale of hydrocarbons.
“Have no doubt,” warns the expert, “there will be guidelines that will weave a perfect coordination network between the SAT and the National Energy Commission. A fearsome alliance designed so that, the moment companies or individuals fail in their obligations, those permits are mercilessly revoked. The perfect match is sought, the divine synchronization between the amount of oil extracted, processed, transported, stored and distributed… with the amount expended. Nothing will escape this watchful eye! Including self-consumption facilities and own uses.”
The Long Arm of the Law and a Final Warning
This regulatory framework also seeks to clear the shadows surrounding the environmental impact assessment and permits for self-consumption facilities. Govea cries out for clarity: “What we want in the regulations is that for self-consumption and own use it is clear how the ASEA will evaluate the ecological damage, how the Energy Regulatory Commission will force these facilities to have a permit, and how, together with the SAT, strict compliance with volume control will be imposed. The taxpayer who does not fulfill… you will face your day of final judgment.”
The message could not be clearer: “The regulations will bring with it greater controls for the regulated. An execution by the supervisory authorities could be unleashed so forceful that it will forever inhibit non-compliance by permit holders. And yes, this will dramatically reduce the scourge of the fiscal huachicol.” It is a promise of fire and steel.
In a final act that mixes the stick with the carrot, Govea reveals that the Federal Government, in its energy public policy strategy, has raised the imperative need to maintain a close dialogue with its regulated entities. Living proof of this is the Voluntary Agreement, an almost epic pact to keep the price of regular gasoline below the psychological barrier of 24 pesos per liter. A fragile truce in the middle of a total war.
The board is ready. The pieces move. The fate of the hydrocarbon sector hangs in the balance as the country holds its breath, waiting for the next crucial move in this all-out battle for energy control.
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