The government will prepare several options for addressing high fuel prices on Tuesday, drawing on the law on prices and good cooperation with the Slovnaft refinery, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) said on social media, adding that the decision on the next steps will be made on Wednesday (23 September).
According to Fico, the trend in fuel prices is also grounds for immediately convening a special EU summit to seek solutions on the European level.
"Our government's aim is to keep fuel prices in the second half of the EU's cheapest countries, and we've succeeded in doing so up to now. Monitoring price trends, we need to make use of every means available to ensure that our government's target remains realistic," said the premier, adding that in some EU countries, a litre of diesel already costs €3.
Fico attributes the rise in prices to wars, 'greedy oil companies' and the inability to take collective action within the EU. "When it comes to petrol and diesel prices, the EU as a whole is leaving all member states at the mercy of the devastating effects of the oil crisis. The fact that member states are expected to offset sky-rocketing fuel prices at the expense of pensions, health care or education is not only a demonstration of the EU's incompetence, but above all of the EU's cynicism. And on top of that, the European Commission is ordering us to make savings under the threat of sanctions," he said.
Smer-SD vice-chair Tibor Gašpar outlined potential solutions in response to a journalist's question at a party press conference on Tuesday. He doesn't think there's room to lower excise taxes or VAT, though he admitted the possibility of discussing the taxation of the refinery's high profits. According to Gašpar, Slovnaft argues that it is reinvesting its profits into technological upgrades to be able to process non-Russian oil. "I assume the government will negotiate this issue with Slovnaft. We'll see to what extent it decides to introduce any form of special taxation. However, it doesn't necessarily mean that imposing a higher tax on Slovnaft will result in changes to fuel prices,” he said.
Source: TASR
