The Government intends to limit the race to the top of gasoline and diesel prices through the reduction of excise duties. In particular, the Minister Cingolanispeaking yesterday in the Senate on expensive gasoline, he announced that the Government is considering the introduction of “a mobile excise duty” on fuels.
Basically, since there was a higher VAT revenue deriving from the increase in prices (the tax base has increased), the Government intends to use these higher revenues to reduce excise duties, thus lowering the cost of fuel. All this, without there being a decline in the planned annual income. This is a mechanism introduced in the 2008 Budget but never used due to the complex calculation system. In fact, Minister Cingolani also wanted to highlight how very complex it is to operate on fuels. For several days, however, the trade associations had been asking for the introduction of this very mechanism. How much could this measure be worth? There is talk of 15-20 cents but these are only indiscretions.
Measures to cut fuel and energy costs, which have risen rapidly with the outbreak of the terrible conflict in Ukraine, will be discussed in the Council of Ministers of 18 March. Tomorrow, therefore, the decree should arrive that will allow to lower the price of a full tank of petrol or diesel. The costs of fuel, as we have seen in recent days, are going to weigh more and more both on household budgets and on those of companies.
Meanwhile, they are reported further small reductions on the prices recommended by the companies, above all thanks to a price of oil that is far from the records of recent days. As Quotidiano Energia reports, Eni still drops by 3 cents per liter. Instead, IP cuts both diesel and petrol by 8 cents, while Q8 and Tamoil drop recommended prices by 5 cents.
Unfortunately, at the moment the data on the average prices charged on the Italian network are not available due to maintenance work on the Osservaprezzo carburanti del Mise portal that has been going on for a couple of days.
