Strategies for reforming fossil-fuel subsidies

Finally, this effort and the other work of the GSI could not have been undertaken without the generous support of the governments of Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. [...] The second case outlines the reform of the French coal sector, which started in the 1960s and officially ended in 2004 with the closing of the last mine. [...] The findings of the PSIA, easily accessible, provided the government with an independent confirmation that its policy was in the best interests of the citizens of Ghana. [...] The reasoning behind the pricing formula was made transparent through publication of the components of the price of gasoline at the pump (Amoatey, 2006): • 53 per cent was the cost of purchasing and processing raw crude; • 10 per cent was Excise Duty; • 8 per cent represented the dealer’s and marketer’s profit margins; • 8 per cent went to the Debt Refinery Levy, to pay the Tema Oil Refinery’s deb [...] Coal was still a crucial source of energy at the start of the reform and therefore a dialogue was created from the outset among the government (through national, regional and local representations), the European Commission, CdF and trade unions in order to minimize the impact on sectors directly or indirectly concerned.