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Sunday, 12 October, 2008, 12:20 GMT | more prices >>

Argentina tax plan slugs Petrolifera stock



By Upstream staff 

Petrolifera Petroleum shares plunged nearly 17% today as the company said an export tax on its crude oil production in Argentina would cut its cash flow by about 8%.

Shares in the company were down C$2.16 (US$2.22) at C$10.80 late in the morning on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Almost 250,000 shares changed hands, almost 40% more than the usual daily average.

Including the drop today, the shares have fallen 49% over the past 12 months.

The company, which is based in Calgary but produces oil and gas in Argentina, said in a statement it is rethinking its C$76 million 2008 capital spending plan in the South American country after the government "introduced an increase in the export tax for crude oil and refined products".

Petrolifera said the change appeared to set a $42 a barrel ceiling price on oil in Argentina, which is currently selling for about $93.50 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The company said that on assumed sales of 10,000 barrels of oil per day, the company's cash flow from operations would drop 8% because of the changes.

Petrolifera's cash flow for the first nine months of this year, the money used for new projects and drilling, was C$57.7 million, or C$1.13 a share.

Petrolifera said it was still examining the full impact of the tax change but it is looking at what projects in the Argentina it would defer or abandon due to the extra costs.

($1=$0.98 Canadian)


Monday, 19 November, 2007, 17:00 GMT  | last updated: Monday, 19 November, 2007, 17:00 GMT

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