PRICE OF PETROL. The effect on prices of the fuel discount of 18 cents has faded in recent days and prices are rising again for both gasoline and diesel. Here are the last average prices observed at the service station.
[Mis à jour le 10 mai 2022 à 11h30] Bad news for motorists who are once again seeing soaring fuel prices. fuel at the pump. After a sudden increase at the beginning of March in the wake of the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, prices had stabilized, the bar of 2 euros even moving away significantly at the beginning of April with the implementation of the discount of 18 cents / liter announced by the government a few weeks before the presidential election.
But it’s already the end of the upturn! Tensions on the energy market remain palpable and the announcement of possible embargo measures on Russian oil decided at European level have the effect of once again driving up the price of a barrel of oil above the $100 mark. As a result, prices at the pump are rising mechanically: 1.9438 euro/litre of diesel according to the latest statement from the Ministry for Ecological Transition, an average price observed in metropolitan France. Unleaded 95 is not to be outdone since it also exceeds 1.85 euro/litre of fuel at the pump.
What prices for vacation departures?
Will the price of fuel stabilize as summer approaches and before the big vacation departures? The rebate of 18 cents on the price of a liter of fuel, introduced by the government on April 1, must end on July 31. This end date is already creating a number of questions, especially for holidaymakers since August residents should therefore not benefit from the 15 centimes/litre discount, unlike July travelers. On the executive side, and pending the establishment of a new government, it is whispered that the system, which is very costly for public finances (3 billion euros over 4 months), has not necessarily destined to be extended. It could be relayed by another device, more targeted for low-income households and having to accumulate kilometers for their professional needs.
A first step has also been taken in this direction. Some professions will have a little extra boost in the coming weeks: contracted health professionals. Dentists, nurses, physiotherapists, doctors, speech therapists or even midwives will be concerned via an extension of the reimbursement of mileage costs by Health Insurance. In concrete terms, they will benefit from a discount of an additional 15 centimes per liter via the reimbursement of these costs. Again, the discount will be temporary and should end on July 31, 2022.
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.
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, finances only “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.