“From grand announcements came nothing. For transport companies and entrepreneurs – price increases. For those who use LPG – increases of several dozen percent. Instead of cutting VAT and excise duty until the end of June – only until mid- and late April. They keep deceiving and maneuvering,” said Prof. Przemysław Czarnek, the Law and Justice (PiS) candidate for prime minister. The politician commented in this way on the government’s actions regarding fuel price reductions.
Czarnek on the government: “They keep deceiving”
Prof. Przemysław Czarnek, the Law and Justice (PiS) candidate for prime minister, held a press conference today in which he recalled that the government’s actions to reduce fuel prices were delayed. He emphasized that already three weeks ago he had proposed “a bill reducing VAT from 23% to 8% and excise duty to the statutory minimum rates until the end of June – also for LPG, for gas.”
“Not only for petrol 95, 98 and diesel. What do we have after three weeks? They graciously woke up last Thursday. They created a path to do all of this through regulations, and in those regulations we have VAT and excise cuts, but only until April 15 and the end of April respectively – not until June and without LPG. Today, ladies and gentlemen, from 2.5 to 3 million drivers in Poland are filling up gas that is several dozen percent more expensive than a month ago. Just a month ago you could buy LPG for 2.70. Today it already costs 3.89. On the way from Lublin to Warsaw we saw gas at 3.89. That is several dozen percent more for those who use LPG” – he explained.
He also added that “the acronym CPN, created by Tusk in reference to his supposed fuel price reduction policy, in practice stands for: ‘They Keep Ignoring the Poorest’, or ‘They Keep Ignoring the Most Vulnerable’ – because LPG, let us repeat, is used by those who genuinely wanted to save on fuel and often invested in very expensive gas installations. Today they have been left out of the reductions and are paying several dozen percent more than a month ago, meaning that just before the holidays they are paying enormous gas bills.”
“The same applies to entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs who deduct VAT today, according to the government’s announcement, face higher net prices of petrol and gas than before the reductions. There were supposed to be cuts, but there are increases for all entrepreneurs. Compared to just yesterday, the net price of petrol and diesel, according to this morning’s government announcement, is higher by 33-34 grosz. What kind of reduction is that if prices are rising? And this increase does not affect only transport companies – it affects all of us, because those who run businesses, from small local shops to large transport companies, deliver all the goods we buy before the holidays. From the grand announcement, nothing really came. For transport companies and entrepreneurs, there are even increases” – he said.
In his opinion, the December 13 coalition “keeps deceiving and maneuvering.”
“Instead of lowering the refinery margin, they are keeping it at a very high level. Just before these retail price reductions from VAT from 23% to 8% and excise duty to minimum rates, they were raising them” – he recalled.
“Lower Fuel Prices” program
On Sunday, a day after publication in the Journal of Laws, regulations from the government’s “Lower Fuel Prices” package came into force, including an amendment to, among other things, the Act on crude oil reserves. It introduced a mechanism for calculating the maximum fuel price that will apply at stations.
According to the amendment, the maximum price announced by the Minister of Energy applies from the day following its publication in the Polish Monitor. If announced before public holidays or non-working days, the rate will remain in force until the next working day. Under the regulations, the Ministry of Energy will publish daily announcements on maximum fuel prices. Selling above the maximum price may result in a fine of up to 1 million PLN, and inspections will be carried out by the National Revenue Administration.