Economy
Spanish consumers' organisation warns that a third of petrol stations did not pass on full tax cut in October
The Ocu has zeroed in on "low-cost" stations and asked the competition regulator to launch an investigation into possible anti-competitive practices
Spanish consumers' organisation Ocu reported last Friday that a third of petrol stations had not passed on the full tax cut on hydrocarbons applied to ... petrol since 1 October. It specifically pointed to "low-cost", self-service or supermarket-linked petrol stations, which were slower to pass on the reduction to consumers and did so to a more limited extent.
The Ocu has requested an investigation by the CNMC (competition regulator) to determine whether anti-competitive practices have taken place in relation to a measure financed with public funds.
The Ocu explained in a statement that the 15-cent reduction per litre in this tax should have resulted in a saving of approximately 18.1 cents per litre once IVA was applied. However, following an analysis of data from the Ministry for Ecological Transition, the organisation concluded that a significant proportion of petrol stations had not implemented the measure immediately or in full.
At 2pm on 1 October, 24 per cent of petrol stations were offering a discount of less than 15 cents, which is at least three cents less than the required amount, while 28 per cent had not even adjusted their prices.
According to the Ocu, these irregularities were more prevalent in low-cost, automated petrol stations and food retail chains. Major brands, by contrast, reacted more quickly and chains such as Repsol, BP, Moeve, Galp, Shell, Petronor, Campsa and Petrocat passed on most or all of the price reduction on the very same day.
By 8 October, almost the entire Ocu network was already offering an average discount of 17.9 cents per litre. However, three weeks after the subsidies came into force, 34 per cent of petrol stations were still offering discounts of less than 18 cents per litre, without taking into account that "the downward trend in fuel prices since 1 October" should have added a further four cents, bringing the total discount to 22 cents.
The Ocu again denounced a "rocket effect and feather effect", which means that cost increases are passed on to consumers very quickly, while decreases take time to arrive or are not fully applied.
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