Gasoline Price Boosted 25% by Moscow Mayor
Mayor Yuri Luzhkov raised the price of gasoline 25% in the Russian capital Friday, angering motorists who have endured several sharp increases already this year.
The West has urged Russia to raise its fuel prices to world levels, arguing that artificially low energy costs distort the economy and subsidize inefficient factories.
At 38 cents a gallon, Russian gasoline is well below Western standards. But the average Russian worker earns the equivalent of $28 a month. A driver also may have to wait an hour in lines to reach the pumps.
President Boris N. Yeltsin lifted price controls on gasoline in March.
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