At the beginning of the year, anti-inflationary shields will cease to operate, and hence the reduced VAT rate on fuel. Stations are preparing for price increases.
The European Commission expressed doubts about the anti-inflationary shields introduced by the government. Basically, we are talking about VAT rates, changes to which must be approved by the European Commission. Brussels has not agreed to the extension of the shields introduced before Christmas in 2021 and earlier this year.
Will fuel prices rise?
Crude oil prices on world markets have declined significantly from the levels to which anti-inflation shields imposed by the government. After the start of the war in Ukraine, and especially after the imposition of an embargo on oil from Russia, Brent had to pay about $130 per barrel. Currently, prices have stabilized in the range of 80-90 dollars.
So why haven’t you seen major price changes at Polish filling stations in recent months? It turns out that this is most likely due to the strategy of companies that are preparing for a VAT increase from January 1. Naturally, the increase in VAT will affect the price of fuel, therefore, according to experts, station operators keep the price at a level that will not cause a shock at the beginning of the year. It should be possible, eg. due to higher margins. This gives flexibility, as it is these surcharges that can be partly waived to reduce the perception of price increases caused by higher VAT.
There will be no sharp rises at the stations
The effect for drivers will be that they won’t see big increases at stations at the start of the year, as companies are already supporting the price to be expected once inflationary shields are over.
– I think this is a matter of ensuring the safety of fuel sellers so that there are no sharp increases after the VAT increase – This was told to the 300economy portal by Ursula Cheshlak from the Reflex office. According to e-petrol.pl, the average price of pb95 benzene fell this week from PLN 7.35 to PLN 7.32. Diesel fuel remains expensive, the price this week fell from 7.84 to 7.79 zł.
Source: Wprost
