Il Government expects the price of petrol to drop by 4-5 cents per liter today, in addition to the 2 cent reduction that has already occurred. This is the outcome of this morning's meeting at the Ministry of Economic Development between the Executive, the oil companies and the managers of the sector. This was announced by undersecretary Claudio De Vincenti: “The meeting went well – he said as he left the meeting-. We know that the distribution network in our country is inefficient, but the price differences between Italy and the European Union are unjustified. We have issued a firm invitation to bring the price into line with the European average”, because “there is no reason for the price of petrol to rise in Italy when the price of oil falls on an international scale”.
As far as excise duties are concerned, the undersecretary revealed that the government is working on an intervention that will make it possible to "sterilize the effects of the price increase on VAT", reducing the tax burden when the price increases.
Faced with this "firm invitation", the oil companies say they are ready to collaborate, but maintain that the responsibility for the Italian situation cannot be attributed to the excessive speculation of the companies. “The government has made a clear statement and has asked for prices more in line with the rest of Europe and more accessible for users – explained Pasquale De Vita, president of the Italian Petroleum Union -. We are available, but Italy is also suffering from a structural network problem”.
Meanwhile, Coldiretti estimates that the new reduction, added to that of the last few days, could have a very positive effect on Italian household spending, considering that in our country 88% of goods travel by road.
