Tank discount: Fear of rip-off - Cartel Office wants to keep a close eye on tenants as of June 1st
Created: 05/30/2022, 10:57 am
By: Lisa Mayerhofer
The President of the Bundeskartellamt, Andreas Mundt, has announced that his authority will keep a close eye on price developments after the start of the tank discount.
(Iconic image) © MANUEL GEISSER/Imago
The tank discount starts on June 1st.
The head of the Cartel Office would like to keep a close eye on whether the price reductions are passed on to consumers.
Bonn – The President of the Bundeskartellamt, Andreas Mundt, has announced that his authority will keep a close eye on price developments after the start of the tank discount.
His authority is looking "intensely at June 1st," Mundt said on Sunday to the broadcasters
RTL
and
ntv
.
If price reductions are not passed on to consumers, the Cartel Office will ask the oil companies "uncomfortable questions".
Tank discount: Cartel Office monitors prices "intensively"
For the tank discount, the energy tax on fuel will be reduced for three months from June.
According to the Federal Ministry of Finance, this should make petrol 35.2 cents cheaper and diesel 16.7 cents.
However, there are fears that the oil companies may not lower prices to the same extent.
According to Mundt, the Federal Cartel Office began monitoring prices more closely some time ago.
"In the end, we have to hope that the price reductions will not only be temporary, but will have a permanent impact on consumers," he said.
It is possible "to create a maximum of transparency for the public and politicians as to how this tax cut is being handled by the oil companies," said Mundt.
"We will ask the appropriate questions and we will also get the answers."
Habeck: Tank discount could lead to higher prices on June 1st
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has not previously ruled out that the tank discount may lead to higher fuel prices - "if everyone drives to the gas station on June 1st".
Then the demand would be much greater "and petrol suddenly became an even more valuable commodity and then we lowered the price, but in reality it is going up," Habeck told
ntv
on Friday .
That would then depend on what is happening on the market and would "calm down again," Habeck said.
The gas station industry has already warned of bottlenecks.
With the price reduction, high demand from motorists meets a shortage of supply.
The tank discount is to be granted until the end of August.
(lma/AFP)
