Russia will raise its oil export duty by 16.08 percent in April, from 365 U.S. dollars per ton in March to up to 423.7 dollars, an official said on Tuesday.
According to Alexander Sakovich from the Russian Finance Ministry, the final oil export duty for April is based on the average price of the Urals crude oil from Feb. 15 to March 14, which stood at 108.16 dollars per barrel.
Sakovich also said crude oil from Russia's Eastern Siberia will still enjoy the duty preference, but its export duty is expected to rise to 191 dollars per ton in April from 150.4 dollars in March.
In line with the oil export duty, the duty on light refined fuels is also going to rise from 244.6 dollars per ton to 289.3 dollars, while that for heavy fuels will stand at 197.9 dollars, 27.5 dollars higher than in March.
Local media reports said the duty is now at a 2.5-year peak since 2008, and believed the hike was caused by the chain reaction of the unrest in the Middle East and North Africa.
In general, the Russian government changes the oil export duty every month and officially announces the rate at the end of each month.