PRICE OF PETROL. While fuel prices are soaring at the pump, the government has announced an upcoming measure to reduce 15 euro cents per liter at your gas stations. When, how will it work and is everyone concerned? Here are the practical answers.
[Mis à jour le 14 mars 2022 à 09h14] Another week of anguish for motorists forced to go through the dreaded ordeal of the service station. With prices that have exceeded 2 euros per liter, the pill may have trouble passing. As the war in Ukraine begins to affect the global economy, the price of a barrel of oil continues to rise and the repercussions will be felt at the pumps. The most alarmist even evoke a possible peak at 3 euros per litre! E85, eco-driving, abandoning the car for public transport when possible… The loopholes are not numerous.
Faced with this crisis situation, the government has promised new aid, in the form of a discount of 15 cents on a liter of petrol. What reduce the bill of 7.50 euros for a full tank of 50 liters, an average tank for a vehicle in France. “For every 60 liters you will save 9 euros“, also summed up Prime Minister Jean Castex. This measure will soon come into force. Here is what to remember from this announcement as well as the list of gas stations the cheapest in France to help you find the most affordable pump near you.
Through the voice of Prime Minister Jean Castex, the government announced an upcoming measure to reduce the price of fuel at the pump, following the significant increase observed at the beginning of March, shortly after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine:
- This discount measure of 15 cents/litre of fuel will be valid on all “raw” fuels, with the exception of E85 bio-ethanol at the already low price. If you drive on diesel with your diesel vehicle, you will therefore be just as concerned as if you drive on unleaded petrol.
- The measure will take effect on April 1, 2022, to give distributors time to organize themselves. It will be valid until July 31.
- The discount will be immediate for the motorist but the price after discount will not be displayed directly at the pump. The discount will be made at the time of payment, whether at an automatic terminal or at a cash desk.
In addition to moderating your travels, practicing carpooling if you can, the best thing is still to compare the prices charged in the service stations around your home. Tedious? Not that much since many sites offer this service on the internet. You can also base yourself on the official government website, combustible.gouv.fr, which offers to find the prices that must be indicated to the State by the managers of service stations. Linternaute.com has prepared a file showing you the prices department by department.
Our partner Essence&Co also offers this service via collaborative data provided by Internet users. You can find the search engine below. It is possible to compare fuel prices at service stations near you. Available on Android or iPhone, it offers daily fuel prices based on user feedback to indicate current prices.
The government websiteprice.fuel.gouv.fr” also offers you price statements by department and type of fuel (Be careful to clearly differentiate unleaded 95, 98 or E10). The price statements are updated on a weekly basis. What will help you find the cheapest gas stations through an interactive map listing the gas stations near you.
As you have noticed, there are sometimes sometimes substantial price differences depending on the service station: between distributor brands (supermarkets in particular) and oil group stations, the difference can sometimes seem significant. It is explained by various parameters including the brand image but also the famous additives. You may know them by their trade name. Excellium fuel, for example in the Total network, contains many additives. Incorporated into the fuel, they are used to improve its quality and therefore its performance. Also intended to protect the engine or the tank, they also act on higher prices, which sometimes gives rise to controversy over their usefulness. Marketing argument used to justify these prices or real benefit for the car, the debate is lively.
What is the share of taxes in the price of gasoline at the pump? According to Total, taxes represent “the most important part of the price of fuel”. In 2018, according to the company, the taxes collected by the State represented for example “63% of the price of Unleaded 95-E10 and 60% of that of diesel”. Gasoline tax is in fact divided into two different taxes: VAT, and the domestic consumption tax on energy products (TICPE). There is also the general tax on polluting activities (TGAP). The TICPE is also higher on gasoline than on diesel. Depending on gasoline prices, the TICPE represents nearly 70 cents on gasoline, 60 cents on the price of a liter of diesel.
The carbon tax is a tax on CO2 emissions. It was implemented in 2014. It was to increase on January 1, 2019 and add 3 cents more to the price of a liter of diesel and 6 cents to the price of a liter of lead-free. Nothing happened: the government decided to cancel its increase when it could have brought 3.9 billion euros in additional revenue to the State. This decision follows the discontent of the yellow vests at the end of 2018. Note that the carbon tax, a component of the TICPE, only finances “very little” the ecological transition.
According to a Senate report on revenue for 2016, “out of the 4 billion euros of additional revenue expected from the carbon component in 2016, 3 billion euros are returned to companies under the tax credit for Competitiveness and Employment (CICE), and 1 billion euros for households, through reduced VAT rates applicable to energy renovation work on housing and in favor of social housing and intermediate housing”. For the Senate, the increase in the carbon tax therefore results from a “logic of budgetary return” and is not particularly used to finance the ecological transition.