Advertisement

Fuel companies deny holiday price-gouging

DDP/The Local
DDP/The Local - [email protected]
Fuel companies deny holiday price-gouging
Photo: DPA

The German head of petrol providers BP and Aral on Tuesday vehemently rejected accusations that the companies were gouging driver with higher prices ahead of the Easter holiday.

Advertisement

On Monday, German automobile club ADAC had said that Aral and its parent company BP were set to take advantage of customers during the high-traffic long weekend.

But the head of Aral, Uwe Franke, blamed German taxes for high petrol prices.

“Without taxes a litre of petrol or diesel costs between €0.53 and €0.61 – depending on what kind,” Franke told daily Bild. “With that we are in the lower third for the EU countries.”

Franke went on to say that a litre of gasoline costs less than a litre of any beverage sold at fuelling stations.

“This accusation is purely false and won’t be any more correct through continued repetition,” he said, adding that international markets don’t turn to accommodate German holiday weekends.

Part of the misunderstanding over fuel prices comes from comparing the price of crude oil with petrol, he told the paper. Since the beginning of the year fuel prices have increased significantly per litre, while the increased cost of crude oil has been low, he explained.

More

Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.

Please log in to leave a comment.

See Also