Economics•26 Aug ’23 13:52 Author: ANP
If the outgoing cabinet allows fuel prices for cars to rise again in January, it would be ‘disastrous’ for Dutch filling station owners in the border region, as well as for shopkeepers and supermarkets. Ewout Klok, chairman of Belangenvereniging Tankstations (BETA), warns against this.
If the outgoing cabinet allows fuel prices for cars to rise again in January, it would be ‘disastrous’ for Dutch filling station owners in the border region, as well as for shopkeepers and supermarkets. Ewout Klok, chairman of Belangenvereniging Tankstations (BETA), warns against this. (AP/Flip Franssen)
He foresees that ‘tens of millions’ will then flow away to Belgium and Germany. ‘The greater the price difference, the more people cross the border to fill up. And when you’re abroad, you do your other shopping right there,’ says Klok. The price differences at the pump are already very large compared to countries around us. This is due to the extremely high excise duty in the Netherlands. According to Klok, this leads to unfair competition.
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The government wants to reverse an earlier excise duty reduction in January. This makes petrol 21 cents per liter more expensive and diesel 13 cents. A liter of Euro95 can cost more than 2.40 euros.
‘Everything is getting more expensive’
Klok points out that this will make ‘everything more expensive again’, because the extra excise duty will not only be passed on to motorists. ‘Transporters will also pass on the higher costs of supplying shops and supermarkets. So everyone will feel this, not just the driver,’ says the chairman.
Klok fears that the cabinet will do nothing about the much more expensive fuels. ‘They already have a deficit of billions and what could be easier than to put an extra burden on the motorist? The Netherlands is a transport country, we cannot do without a car. But they have promised us that there will be an evaluation first, so we are sticking to that’, he continues.
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The ANWB is also ‘not happy’ with the substantial price increases. ‘They already add up enormously at the pump. For many people it is not possible to participate in society without a car. The relationship with Europe is skewed,” says a spokeswoman. The ANWB previously warned that many motorists are in financial trouble due to the sky-high fuel prices.
2023-08-26 11:52:24
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