Fuel prices: According to economists, fuel discounts through tax cuts are only partially successful

Tomaso Duso, competition expert at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), comes to the conclusion that only around two thirds of the tax cut of 16.7 cents reached consumers. "Since October 1st, prices in Germany have fallen on average by 10 to 11 cents per liter more than in France, where there is no discount," he says. In addition, the distribution has now decreased: since October 8th it has only been an average of 9 cents.

Duso suspects that the reason for the incomplete disclosure is a lack of competition at the refinery and wholesale level. The tax cut will arrive there first. “Whether it is passed on depends on the competition at this level,” said Duso. "And there are clear indications that competition is weak." The Federal Cartel Office should consistently continue its investigations at the refinery and wholesale levels. “The lack of competition there is not only a problem in times of fuel discounts,” said the DIW economist.

The Ifo estimates slightly higher transfers - in the period from October 7th to 13th, 13 cents for E10 premium gasoline, 14.7 cents for E5 and 13.5 cents for diesel. Here too, there remains a gap to the 16.7 cent tax cut. Last weekend in particular, the Munich economic researchers found low levels of sharing.

The Federal Cartel Office also sees deficits. “The evaluations so far indicate that the tax cut has been passed on to a large extent, but not completely, at the level of refineries and wholesalers,” says President Andreas Mundt. “The gap is slightly larger for gasoline than for diesel.” But it is still too early for a comprehensive assessment.

The Fuels and Energy trade association (en2x) disagrees: “The tax cut will be passed on in full by our member companies, the branded gas stations,” says a spokesman. »What often goes unnoticed when looking at the pure petrol station price: the world market prices for fuel are constantly changing. The international product price for Super E10 gasoline has risen by around 5 cents per liter since September 30th. That means purchasing has become correspondingly more expensive.” This is also reflected in consumer prices. “These are still around 17 cents cheaper at any time than without the fuel discount.”

Super E10 is currently a good three cents more expensive than on the first day of the tank discount. According to the ADAC, the nationwide daily average on Wednesday cost 2.146 euros per liter. Diesel is slightly cheaper than on the first day of the tank discount - on Wednesday 2,255 euros per liter were due. Both prices have only moved relatively weakly in the last few days. On Thursday, data from the fuel price portal Tankerkönig showed the opposite development: initial values ​​up to midday indicated an increase in diesel but falling prices for gasoline.

Compared to other European countries, fuels in Germany are still rather expensive, as shown by data from the EU Commission as of Monday. Even with a fuel discount, the average price for E10 was the fourth highest in the EU - well behind Denmark, the Netherlands and Finland and just ahead of France. The German diesel price was the sixth highest - well behind Finland, Denmark and the Netherlands and a few cents behind Belgium and France.