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Fuel nozzle in Düsseldorf: Rising prices
Photo: Christophe Gateau/ DPA
By the end of August, the tax cut on fuel should noticeably relieve Germany's drivers: by more than 35 cents per liter for petrol and around 17 cents for diesel.
However, only one day after it came into force, it is now apparent that only a fraction of this discount actually reaches the citizens.
According to the traffic club ADAC, premium petrol of the E10 variety cost a nationwide average of 1.896 euros per liter on Thursday morning.
That is 3.7 cents more than 24 hours before.
Diesel cost 1.951 euros and thus 3.3 cents more.
"Actually, it should go further down, but instead the prices are currently rising," criticized ADAC expert Christian Laberer.
Cartel Office announces observation
Laberer does not consider the current increase to be justified, especially since the oil price has recently fallen and more and more tax-reduced fuel is now arriving at the petrol stations.
Even before the tax cut, E10 was about 20 cents too expensive, in his estimation.
The President of the Federal Cartel Office, Andreas Mundt, now wants to keep a close eye on the oil companies, as he told Deutschlandfunk.
There is great transparency in the prices, with the advantage "that we can sometimes ask very uncomfortable questions".
In addition, the Cartel Office wants to closely monitor developments at the refinery and wholesale level.
The tax cut is to apply until the end of August, but it does not only have an effect at the pump, but already at tank farms and refineries.
Gas station stocks purchased before Wednesday are therefore still subject to the higher tax.
Profit from tax cuts
Economics Monika Schnitzer fears that oil companies could make significant profits from the tax cut despite falling prices at gas stations.
"Based on past experience, especially with the 2020 VAT reduction, I think the risk is high," said the economist of the "Augsburger Allgemeine".
According to their calculations, the oil companies would have withheld 40 percent of the tax cut from the VAT reduction in summer 2020, said Schnitzer.
This time, however, the gas stations were under particularly close observation.
rai/dpa
