Fuel will be cheaper for three months from June. The Federal Council gave the green light for the so-called tank discount on Friday, after the Bundestag had already approved the law to reduce the energy tax on fuels the previous evening. But does the relief really reach the drivers?
The law is a reaction by the traffic light government to the recent sharp rise in fuel prices and is part of the relief package for citizens. After the parliamentary vote, it can now come into force punctually on June 1st.
The law lowers the energy tax for a period of three months to the minimum required under European law. This makes petrol around 30 cents per liter cheaper and diesel around 14 cents per liter. The federal government expects reduced tax revenues of 3.15 billion euros.
The ADAC warned the mineral oil companies to “fully exploit the scope for relief and pass it on to consumers”.
Peter Hengstermann also fears that the lower fuel prices may not reach the driver. The head of the petrol station association TIV considers a further increase in the already skyrocketing fuel costs by June 1 to be “quite possible”. He said to the “Bild”: “We expect that the mineral oil companies will artificially drive up prices in order to swallow up the tank discount so that cash can continue to be paid despite the discount.”
However, the ADAC appealed to drivers to plan for the expected “queues and unusual waiting times at the petrol stations”. He also warned that many petrol stations will still sell the fuel they bought in May at the old price in the first days of June.
“Drivers should proceed with a sense of proportion and have enough fuel in the tank so that they may not have to drive to refuel until a few days after the beginning of the month,” explained the automobile club. It is also worth driving sparingly and comparing prices, regardless of the price reductions.
The industry itself is also anticipating bottlenecks. “A high demand from motorists will meet a low supply,” said the chairman of the Federal Association of Free Gas Stations, Duraid El Obeid, the “Rheinische Post”. The general manager of the Fuels and Energy Association (En2X), Christian Küchen, said that temporary bottlenecks at the stations “cannot be completely ruled out”.
The head of the North Rhine-Westphalia consumer advice center, Wolfgang Schuldzinski, therefore also advised: “Because bottlenecks are imminent on June 1, nobody should empty their tank almost completely before then.”
