Tank discount: Gasoline and diesel prices drop significantly - some fuel is sold out

Created: 06/01/2022, 10:38 am

By: Tanja Koch

A look at the price list at a petrol station before midnight (left) and after midnight (right) shows how much the tax cut is affecting fuel prices.

© Roberto Pfeil/dpa

Before the tank discount through tax relief, there was speculation that fuel prices would only slowly fall.

But it is much faster than expected.

Munich/Berlin/Bonn – The fuel tax reduction, which came into force on Wednesday (June 1), has been well received by customers, according to the Federal Association of Independent Petrol Stations.

"At first glance, the measure seems to have been passed on as far as possible," said the association's managing director, Stephan Zieger, on Wednesday morning (June 1) of the German Press Agency (dpa).

This is also shown by a quick evaluation of the prices at around 400 gas stations in Munich, Berlin and Hamburg between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. by the dpa using the fuel price data from the ADAC on Wednesday (June 1).

While not all gas stations have significantly reduced their prices, the vast majority saw a clear difference just a few hours after the tax cut.

Tank discount in effect: It is still too early for a precise assessment

On Wednesday, a liter of Super E10 cost less than 1.90 euros at around 350 of the gas stations surveyed.

During the same period on Tuesday (May 31), there was only one gas station in the area under investigation offering E10 for less than 2 euros.

For the majority, the price at the time was between 2.10 and 2.30 euros.

The theoretical price difference for super petrol due to the tax relief would be 35 cents per liter.

Based on the data available, this is roughly within the range of the reductions.

However, it is still too early for a more precise assessment.

There was also a clear trend towards falling prices for diesel.

While the fuel was only rarely available for less than 2 euros on Tuesday morning, these prices already accounted for the majority on Wednesday.

More than 2.10 euros, on the other hand, were hardly ever asked for.

That was still the case in almost half of all cases on Tuesday.

In the case of diesel, the relief from the tax cut is significantly lower at just under 17 cents per liter.

Tank discount fuels demand – diesel temporarily sold out

Before the tax cut, it was expected that fuel prices would not fall abruptly on Wednesday.

The reason for this is that the reduced tax does not apply to sales at the pump but from the tank farm or refinery.

This means that all gas station supplies delivered before midnight are still subject to the normal higher tax rate.

The fact that the majority of petrol stations have already reduced their prices significantly could be a result of the high level of public attention and the associated competitive pressure.

The Federal Association of Independent Petrol Stations explained that the challenge is to get sufficient quantities of the lower-taxed fuel from the refineries and storage facilities to the petrol stations quickly.

The filling level of the tanks at the gas stations was initially only 20 to 30 percent.

Because full tanks with the old tax burden are not manageable from a commercial point of view.

According to a snapshot taken in Berlin after the tax cut on Wednesday (June 1), demand for fuel is strong.

Diesel was temporarily sold out at individual pumps.

Operators had already warned of this in advance of the tank discount.

“The reluctance to buy is gone.

Drivers fill up their tanks for the Pentecost festival,” said Zieger.

Experience has shown that there is heavy travel due to the holiday.

(tk with dpa)