Car fuel prices lower than the EU average

The prices of petrol and diesel-fuel in Austria are lower than the EU average, the Economics Ministry said today (Fri).The averge price of a litre of Eurosuper 95 petrol in Austria on 8 March had been 1.143 Euros, compared to the EU average of 1.295 Euros, a difference of 15.21 cents a litre.In addition, the average price of a litre of diesel-fuel in Austria on that date was 1.038 Euros, compared to the EU average of 1.118 Euros, a difference of 7.98 cents a litre.Car fuel was most expensive in the UK and the Netherlands and cheapest in Cyprus early this month, the ministry added.The above prices include taxes, but net prices in Austria are also below the EU average. The net price of Eurosuper in Austria on 8 March was 0.468 cents a litre compared to the EU average of 0.504 Euros.The net price of diesel-fuel in Austria on that date was 0.479 cents, compared to the EU average of 0.516 cents.Denmark had the highest net price for petrol and Greece for diesel-fuel. The UK had the lowest net prices for both fuels.The need to lower the budget deficit and the relatively low prices of car fuel in Austria have made an increase in the tax on fuel more attractive to the government, but ministers rubbished reports early this month that a mineral oil tax increase was “virtually certain”.Newspaper Der Standard claimed government task groups had already agreed on raising the tax on mineral oil to reduce the budget deficit.But Social Democratic (SPÖ) Financial Issues State Secretary Andreas Schieder claimed the report was a “newspaper hoax”.Opposition parties the Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the Alliance for the Future of Austria (BZÖ) said they also opposed a tax increase to ensure that commuters and people heating their homes with oil would not be burdened.