Friday 2 August 2013

Pre-tax petrol prices in Spain are among highest in EU

SPAIN Deregulation and a lack of competition are the main causes of high fuel prices in Spain, according to a recent study by the European Commission. Only Denmark and Malta have higher pre-tax prices for petrol, and Spain is eighth among the EU's 28 for diesel fuel. Consumer organizations have for years been asking for a governmentally-established maximum such as was in force until the late 1990s, when the market was opened up under the excuse that this would bring in more competition. A spurious argument, it turned out, and a problem that no government has wanted to deal with - a situation of which the oil companies have been very quick to take advantage.>>>The EC report, dated July 15, reveals that the average basic price, before taxes are applied, in Denmark is €0.78 a litre, in Malta it is €0.76, and €0.73 in Spain.

At the other end of the spectrum are the UK (€0.63), Slovenia (€0.65) and Croatia (€0.66).

The pre-tax price for diesel oil averages €0.80 in Denmark, followed by Bulgaria and Greece (€0.78). Spain takes eighth position on this list, with an average of €0.76/l. 

At the bottom of the diesel oil range are the UK and Slovenia again (€0. 68/l) followed by France with €0.69.

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