The conferees apparently plan to cut school lunches for needy children so they can maintain subsidies to farmers of up to $250,000 per person in each farm household.

But economists calculate that for Venezuela to maintain the social services and subsidies implanted here in the 1970's, Venezuela's oil would have to sell on the world market at $53 a barrel.

In addition, the surge in oil prices of the 1970s provided a windfall to oil-rich Mexico, which allowed the country to maintain substantial subsidies for electricity generation.

Romney's energy plan that was unveiled in August 2012 would maintain subsidies for oil companies, which Romney's rival for the presidency, Obama, would eliminate.

It notably allowed France to maintain quotas and subsidies to protect its cultural market from other nation's cultural products, most notably American, on television and radio.

TSTC seeks to convince policymakers to maintain and increase subsidies for mass transit operations and construction projects.

The government is considering removing subsidies on diesel for general consumers while maintaining subsidies for suitable groups, such as those involved in public transport.

The budget maintains politically important subsidies of gasoline and food prices.

Maintaining high subsidies, political analysts say, could be a way for the Christian Democrats to expand their farm constituency.

Some countries maintain direct subsidies to oil consumption and coal mining.