The reduction in energy tax that has been in effect since midnight has led to a significant drop in fuel prices at many petrol stations. This is shown by a quick evaluation of the prices at around 400 gas stations in Munich, Berlin and Hamburg between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m. by the German Press Agency using the fuel price data from the ADAC on Wednesday.
While not all gas stations have significantly reduced their prices, the vast majority saw a clear difference just a few hours after the tax cut.
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The Federal Association of Independent Gas Stations also assumes that the tax reduction will reach customers. “At first glance, the measure seems to have been passed on as far as possible,” said the association’s managing director, Stephan Zieger, of the German Press Agency.
This coincides with the results of the lightning analysis: on Wednesday, a liter of Super E10 cost less than 1.90 euros at around 350 of the gas stations examined. During the same period on Tuesday, there was only one gas station in the area surveyed that offered E10 for less than 2 euros.
For the majority, the price at the time was between 2.10 and 2.30 euros. The theoretical price difference for super petrol due to the tax relief would be 35 cents per liter. Based on the data available, this is roughly within the range of the reductions. However, it is still too early for a more precise assessment.
There was also a clear trend towards falling prices for diesel. While the fuel was only rarely available for less than 2 euros on Tuesday morning, these prices already accounted for the majority on Wednesday. On the other hand, more than 2.10 euros were hardly ever asked for. That was still the case in almost half of all cases on Tuesday. In the case of diesel, the relief from the tax cut is significantly lower at just under 17 cents per liter.
Before the tax cut, it was expected that fuel prices would not fall abruptly on Wednesday. The reason for this is that the reduced tax does not apply to sales at the pump but from the tank farm or refinery.
This means that all gas station supplies delivered before midnight are still subject to the normal higher tax rate. The fact that the majority of petrol stations have already reduced their prices significantly could be a result of the high level of public attention and the associated competitive pressure.
The Federal Association of Independent Petrol Stations explained that the challenge is to get sufficient quantities of the lower-taxed fuel from the refineries and storage facilities to the petrol stations quickly. The filling level of the tanks at the gas stations was initially only 20 to 30 percent. Because full tanks with the old tax burden are not manageable from a commercial point of view.
