Rome, 18 August (LaPresse) – Fuel prices have not only returned to the levels seen on 4 August, when the government extended the excise duty cut, but petrol prices – both on motorways and on the ordinary road network – have even exceeded the levels recorded on 27 July, prior to the introduction of the tax reduction, which, as is well known, applied only to diesel. This is highlighted by Condacons in an analysis made available to LaPresse. A comparison of fuel prices on 27 July, before the excise duty cut, with those recorded on 18 August shows that on the ordinary road network, petrol rose from 1.982 to 1.994 euros per litre, an increase of 1.2 cents; for a full tank, this translates into an additional cost of around 0.6 euros. Diesel, on the other hand, has fallen from €2.185 to €2.099 per litre, a reduction of 8.6 cents and a saving of around €4.30 per full tank. However, compared with what could have been saved with a discount of 17 cents per litre, the cost of a full tank is still around €4.20 higher. Petrol prices have also risen on the motorway: from 2.071 to 2.073 euros per litre, an increase of 0.2 cents and an extra cost of around 0.1 euros for a full tank. For diesel, on the other hand, the price has fallen from 2.255 to 2.173 euros per litre, a reduction of 8.2 cents and a saving of around 4.1 euros per full tank. Even in this case, however, the saving remains lower than what would have been achieved with a cut of 17 cents per litre: the difference in cost is in fact around 4.4 euros per full tank. “Prices at the pump have returned to crisis levels: petrol users are now paying more than before the government intervened, whilst for diesel the actual reduction in list prices is only about half the tax rebate,” states Codacons. “It is therefore essential not only to extend the excise duty cut, but also to apply it to petrol. Without intervention, the major summer exodus risks being left unprotected just as millions of Italians are set to travel by car, with the danger of another sharp rise in fuel costs.”
Fuel prices, Codacons: ‘Prices have returned to crisis levels; action is needed to tackle the post-holiday rush’
Rome, 18 August (LaPresse) – Fuel prices have not only returned to the levels seen on 4 August, when the government extended the excise duty cut, but petrol prices – both on motorways and on the ordinary road network – have even exceeded the levels recorded on 27 July, prior to the introduction of the tax reduction, which, as is well known, applied only to diesel. This is highlighted by Condacons in an analysis made available to LaPresse. A comparison of fuel prices on 27 July, before the excise duty cut, with those recorded on 18 August shows that on the ordinary road network, petrol rose from 1.982 to 1.994 euros per litre, an increase of 1.2 cents; for a full tank, this translates into an additional cost of around 0.6 euros. Diesel, on the other hand, has fallen from €2.185 to €2.099 per litre, a reduction of 8.6 cents and a saving of around €4.30 per full tank. However, compared with what could have been saved with a discount of 17 cents per litre, the cost of a full tank is still around €4.20 higher. Petrol prices have also risen on the motorway: from 2.071 to 2.073 euros per litre, an increase of 0.2 cents and an extra cost of around 0.1 euros for a full tank. For diesel, on the other hand, the price has fallen from 2.255 to 2.173 euros per litre, a reduction of 8.2 cents and a saving of around 4.1 euros per full tank. Even in this case, however, the saving remains lower than what would have been achieved with a cut of 17 cents per litre: the difference in cost is in fact around 4.4 euros per full tank. “Prices at the pump have returned to crisis levels: petrol users are now paying more than before the government intervened, whilst for diesel the actual reduction in list prices is only about half the tax rebate,” states Codacons. “It is therefore essential not only to extend the excise duty cut, but also to apply it to petrol. Without intervention, the major summer exodus risks being left unprotected just as millions of Italians are set to travel by car, with the danger of another sharp rise in fuel costs.”