Carsten Müller, the head of the Federation of Free Service Stations (BFT), anticipates that the price of fuel at gas stations will undergo another substantial increase before the end of the year. According to Müller speaking to the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, this rise is attributed not only to the expiration of the current fuel discount but also to the growing requirements of the THG quota, which obligates fuel providers to reduce their CO2 emissions.
Müller further stated that around lunchtime, consumers could expect a jump of between “35 and 40 cents per liter,” adding humorously, “that is the moment I wouldn’t want to be standing at the gas station cash register.”
He criticized government attempts to manage these price surges, noting that the federal government intends to implement a fuel price cap to limit the industry’s margins after the fuel discount ends in 2027. Müller dismissed this measure, calling “A fuel price cap is plain populism.” The industry representative also refuted analyses suggesting that mineral oil companies would only partially pass on the lower energy tax to consumers, firmly stating, “We are not ripping anyone off.”
Despite these defenses, Müller is not an unqualified supporter of the current fuel discount. He argued that the industry does not actually benefit from the reduced energy tax. He recounted that on the day before the discount is introduced, stations must still sell the higher-taxed fuel. As a result, Müller explained, “On the last day of the fuel discount, there are partial hoarding purchases; some people fill their cola bottles. We are left with partially empty tanks.” Consequently, he concluded, station owners like himself cannot afford to sell these low-taxed stocks at a higher price.
