Today, September 26th, is day “x”. The tax cut on diesel decided by the Meloni government is halved, but to mitigate the bad news is the decision announced in recent hours by Eni to put a cap on the prices of its fuels for 30 days. A move that brings a sigh of relief to consumers and the government (which hopes for a driving effect), but which is not decisive. In the background there is also the stance taken by Assotir truck drivers, who evoke the strike over high diesel prices. Let’s understand, in practical terms, what happens from today.
Discount halved from today
Last September 16th the Council of Ministers extended the cut in excise duties and VAT on diesel fuel, but reduced it: from 17 cents per liter it dropped to 12.2 cents from 18th to 25th September, and to 6.1 cents from 26th September to 5th October.
So, provision in hand, from today the discount on diesel fuel is halved. “For motorists this is a net increase from 3 euros to full,” calculates Codacons.
Fuel prices today 26 September
According to the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy, based on the latest data collected by the Price Observatory, today the average price of fuel in self-service mode along the national road network is equal to 2.158 euros per liter for petrol and 2.357 per liter for diesel. On the motorway network, however, the average self-service price is 2.252 euros per liter for petrol and 2.439 per liter for diesel.
Eni’s move
Eni’s surprise announcement arrived on Friday afternoon.
The Italian energy giant, whose control is public, has set a maximum limit (price cap) on the price of fuels marketed by Enilive, equal to 2.19 euros per liter for diesel and 1.99 euros per liter for petrol. The price cap “will be applied starting from September 28, for an initial duration of 30 days, with the possibility of extension until the end of the year”.
For Codacons, Eni’s price cap “will result in savings of 10.4 euros on a full tank of diesel” and “11.2 euros for a full tank of petrol”. Assoutenti relaunches: “The government should intervene by setting a temporary price cap by law”.
However, the high cost of fuel does not disappear and the climate remains tense. The general secretary of Assotir, Claudio Donati, announced that, if the government does not convene the road transport associations to address the high price of diesel, a strike “we cannot rule it out”. The ministers of Business, Adolfo Urso, and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, have decided to summon the companies that manage the 10 Italian refineries and the 3 biorefineries. The summit, however, is set for October 8th. It is not excluded that there will then be a regulatory intervention, in line with the measures launched by the government in the last month to increase mining activity on Italian territory.
Behind the scenes and Meloni’s three goals
Behind Eni’s choice to cap the prices of diesel and petrol for at least a month there was a moral suasion on the part of the executive. No one confirms that it was Giorgia Meloni who made the move directly.
Eni’s move certainly pleases Palazzo Chigi, who hopes for a triple effect. A practical one: the slowdown in prices. A political one, because it is the answer to those who asked to tax energy companies. The Italian Antonio Tajani applauds Eni’s decision underlining that “the answers do not come from dirigiste taxes”, from the League he relaunches: “The banks and other large companies in the energy and oil sector follow this example”. And finally there is the hope of a domino effect, meaning that other distributor brands will also lower their prices to remain competitive.