The price of fuel in Spain is attracting attention in Germany and the comparison is being made in a tone of astonishment. The issue was reported by , which reports on the emphasis given by the German newspaper Bild to the values charged at Spanish pumps, which are much lower than those recorded in Germany. In the piece, this difference appears associated with the measures adopted by the Spanish Government on fuels.
According to the publication, which retrieves what was written by Bild, the average price of diesel at German gas stations would have reached 2.50 euros per liter, while premium unleaded gasoline reached 2.29 euros. It is in this context that the German daily turns its attention to Spain, where it found much lower values. In one of the examples cited, a newspaper reporter filled up in Son Servera, on the island of Mallorca, at 1,988 euros per liter of diesel, while super unleaded gasoline cost 1,628 euros per liter at the same service station.
Mallorca emerged as an example of the price difference
The report uses Mallorca as a concrete portrait of the distance between the two markets. According to the newspaper cited, the difference between the price observed in Spain and the German average reached 67 cents per liter, a contrast significant enough to transform a banal supply into a political and media argument.
A German politician took advantage of the trip to launch a message
In another of the pieces mentioned, Wolfgang Kubicki, a German FDP politician, reported having filled up premium gasoline at 1.55 euros per liter in Mallorca. Bild adds that the person responsible sent a photograph to prove the amount paid and compared it with the prices charged in Kiel, his hometown, where the same fuel cost between 2.19 and 2.24 euros per liter.
According to the German newspaper, the difference could reach 69 cents per liter. In a 60 liter tank, this would represent a saving of 41.40 euros. The comparison was later used to argue that Germany could also quickly alleviate the cost of fuel through a fiscal decision.
And in Portugal?
In Portugal, the framework has followed another path. The standard VAT rate on the continent remains at 23%, while the government has resorted to temporary ISP reductions to mitigate steeper increases. In an official statement released in March, the Executive indicated that the estimated real savings at the time would be 1.7 cents per liter on gasoline and 3.2 cents on diesel, accumulating a relief of 5.1 cents on gasoline and 9.4 cents on diesel in relation to the prices charged in the week of March 2 to 6. The DGEG indicated this Wednesday, April 8, an average daily price of 1,914 euros per liter for simple 95 gasoline on the continent.
The fall in VAT in Spain has entered the center of the debate
In the statements reproduced in these pieces, Wolfgang Kubicki argues that lowering the fuel tax would be a simple and effective measure. Quoted by the newspaper, the German politician summarizes this idea in a direct sentence: ‘With a simple government decree, taxes were reduced’. To support the argument, he points to the Spanish case, presented as an example of an intervention with immediate effects on the price paid by consumers.
According to the same publication, the Government of Spain approved a decree-law in March that included a reduction in VAT on fuel from 21% to 10%, applicable to gasoline, diesel and gas. According to the Spanish Confederation of Service Station Entrepreneurs, without this aid package, diesel would be 23 cents more expensive per liter and gasoline would cost 29 cents more.
More than a simple comparison between price tables, the topic ended up gaining a political dimension. From Spain, the case began to be used in Germany as an example of how a quick tax decision can transform the value displayed on the pump panel into an argument for internal debate.
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