German parliament approves fuel tax cut: A full tank should be about ten euros cheaper from May 1st

(Patria) - Both houses of the German parliament, the Bundestag and the Bundesrat, yesterday approved a 17-cent reduction in the tax on petroleum products from the beginning of May.

- A full tank of fuel should be about 10 euros cheaper from May 1st, which is a great relief - said Fritz Guentzler, a member of the Christian Democratic Union CDU/CSU, during the debate preceding the vote in the Bundestag.

The measure was adopted by the German government after fuel prices rose sharply due to the attacks of the USA and Israel on Iran.

The first package of measures, which introduced the rule that gas stations can only increase prices once a day, did not yield the expected results.

The opposition fiercely criticized the fuel price reduction, pointing out that it would further increase demand for fuel instead of reducing it at a time when an oil shortage is looming.

Leading economists in Germany also criticized the measure, pointing to the global fuel shortage and the counterproductive nature of a measure that would further increase consumption.

Consumer protection offices fear that the fuel tax reduction will not reach the end consumer, but that oil companies will profit the most, and they are asking the government for strict control of price movements after the measure comes into effect.

Associations of gas station owners have already announced that due to the May 1st holiday, it will not be possible to reduce fuel prices everywhere.

The coalition government of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats under Friedrich Merz has been criticized by the public since the beginning of the oil crisis for insufficient reactions to rising fuel prices.