The start of the new âfuel discountâ has caused fuel prices to fall sharply at many gas stations. Petrol and diesel prices suddenly became cheaper around midnight, and prices fell significantly further by midday. At 8:00 a.m., the ADAC determined a decrease in the nationwide average price of 14.5 cents for Super E10 and 15.2 cents for diesel compared to the same time the previous day.
By 11:45 a.m. the price for E10 had fallen to 2.052 euros per liter and for diesel to 2.197 euros. Prices climbed by around 20 cents by 12:15 p.m. Since the introduction of the 12 o'clock rule, the morning has been a comparatively better time to refuel; Prices often rise sharply at lunchtime. But many people had already filled up beforehand. There was a lot of activity at many gas stations in the late morning, and in some cases there were even queues.
In the morning, E10 was still being offered in some regions for less than two euros per liter, as can be seen from the ADAC portal. After the price jump at midday, there were practically no such offers left, at least temporarily. Even in the morning, prices for diesel generally remained well above two euros.
ADAC sees âsignificant price scopeâ
âThis meant that a large part of the tax relief of around 17 cents had already reached consumers in the morning,â said the ADAC, assessing the current prices. However, the transport club warned that the price reductions should not be âcollected backâ through later increases. The fuel price portal Tankerkönig also showed prices continuing to fall in the morning, but not at the same rate.
The ADAC viewed the rapid drop in fuel prices overnight as an indication of âsignificant price leewayâ. The automobile club announced that it would keep an eye on the dynamics.
September is the most expensive month to fuel
The federal government launched the âfuel discountâ in response to the currently extremely high fuel prices - September was by far the most expensive fuel month to date. The tax discount of 16.7 cents per liter has been in effect for petrol and diesel since midnight. The extent to which this will be fully passed on to consumers will become apparent in the next few days. There is no direct obligation from gas stations to reduce prices; the calculations for this are complex.
It is already the second âfuel discountâ this year: In May and June, taxes on fuel were also reduced by around 17 cents. Evaluations of the first fuel discount showed that the tax reduction at the pumps was largely passed on to consumers. According to the Monopolies Commission, a good 200 million euros of the relief volume of 1.6 billion euros at the time remained with the oil companies.
Controversial measure
The measure is controversial; Economists sharply criticized the tax cut. âAs was the case last time, it is unclear how much of it will actually be passed on to the end consumer,â said economist Veronika Grimm to the Augsburger Allgemeine.
The chairman of the Monopolies Commission, Tomaso Duso, criticized that ânothing was learnedâ from the last tax cut. âEven back then, not all of the tax cuts reached the pump,â criticized Duso. Nevertheless, the federal and state governments would again spend around 2.5 billion euros of tax money without the money going specifically to those who need it most. Proponents of the âfuel discount,â however, argue that there is currently no better way to relieve the burden on drivers.
