Is it really all the taxman's fault if Italian fuels are more expensive than the European average? It would seem so, according to the tables updated by the Ministry of Economic Development and just released by theOil union. Already during 2020 it was highlighted that the so-called detachment of the industrial price for diesel (the average difference with other prices in Europe excluding taxes) was negative for Italy, even if only slightly.
According to the surveys carried out on 24 February last, the advantage on industrial prices in favor of the Italian motorist also extended to petrol: -1,3 euro cents per liter and -1,8 for diesel, compared respectively with a at the pump of 1,546 euros per liter for petrol and 1,439 euros for diesel.
It is a pity that the tax component plays, as we know, a decidedly preponderant role, confirming this Italy ranks 2nd overall among EU countries, after Holland, both for petrol and diesel. And so the taxman weighs, again according to the latest survey, by more than one euro per liter (1,007 to be precise) in the case of petrol and by 0,877 euro for diesel. And it is thus that the updated price at the pump is 1,546 euros per liter for petrol compared to an average euro of 1,453, while we pay 1,439 per liter for diesel compared to 1,311 for the European average.
Beyond the official price lists and averages, it is worth remembering that with the final total liberalization of fuels between self-service and served refueling and between one service station and another there may be price differences of up to 30% or more.
In the latest update of its "Energy numbers", the Petroleum Union points out that in 2019 Italy increased crude oil imports by 1,8%, with strong reductions for arrivals from the Middle East and a notable growth from Africa, the North Sea and especially the ex-USSR. The top country among our 24 suppliers was Iraq (20%), followed by Libya at 12%.
Last year the refineries processed 71,7 million tons of crude oil, 1,7% less than in 2018 against the persistent decline in global consumption of petroleum products (actually also to the increase in average efficiency of the fleet in circulation) which according to provisional data in January 2020 was 2,1% compared to the same period of 2019, while in the same period fuel sales (petrol + diesel + LPG ) decreased by 0,2%. All this while car registrations fell 2020% in January 5,8 compared to January 2019. There was a sharp decline in diesel cars (a direct consequence of the actual criminalization of legislation in place) overtaken by petrol-powered ones as primary fuel. Hybrid cars are growing sharply, above all – notes the Unione Petrolifera – diesel hybrids. Natural gas registrations are recovering, while electric ones rise to a still modest 1,2%.
To counteract the useless use of cars, it would be right for fuel to cost much more. Maybe you can remove stamp duty, ipt, transfers or other taxes and put everything on petrol. It would be the right time that the car is used only for real needs.