ADAC has reported that oil companies are increasing gasoline prices just before the tax discount of 16.7 cents per liter expires today. Despite crude oil prices falling on international markets, companies are already overcharging drivers. This means the promised relief has not been noticeable, and prices will remain high without apparent justification.
The mechanism of the tax discount and its real effect at the pumps ⛽
The tax discount of 16.7 cents per liter was a temporary measure to ease the burden on drivers. However, its application has been opaque. Oil companies adjust their prices in real time based on crude oil and demand, but ADAC has detected that, despite the drop in the barrel price, pump prices not only did not decrease but rose in the days leading up to the end of the aid. This suggests that the discount was not passed on to the end consumer but was lost along the way.
Gasoline rises on its own, like bread in the fridge 🍞
It seems oil companies have a special radar for detecting when a discount is about to end. Just today, as the government withdraws the 16.7 cents, prices have shot up like a gymnast. Crude oil falls, but gasoline rises: it is as if the price of bread depended on the temperature of the fridge. Drivers, meanwhile, look at the pump and think that maybe the discount was just a dream.