THE Tanzanian Treasury has lost over 50-billion shillings as a result of the liberalisation of the petroleum sector, according to oil industry analysts. The colossal loss is due to the drop in the quantity of refined petroleum products sold officially in the country since liberalization started in 1997. Statistics from the Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation (TPDC) and other dealers in the oil industry show that 750-million litres of refined petroleum products were sold in 1998 compared to one billion litres in 1997. The government earns an average of 200/- per litre. The slide is expected to continue, reaching 650-million litres in 1999, cutting another 20-billion out of Treasury revenue.