There will not be tax rebate for professional diesel, but a bonus. The government has offered carriers a rebate on the price of professional diesel of around €500 million Charged to the General State Budget, to address the viability problems of the sector after the rise in fuel prices due to the war in Ukraine, to which the corresponding contribution from the oil companies will be added. “It is a measure to which we are committed and we have to finish specifying the amount after the European Council of 24 and 25 Marchthat is why we are located at a meeting on friday about how much the discount will be”, announced the Minister of Transport, Rachel Sanchezafter meeting with the National Committee for Road Transport (CNTC).
A measure designed in the image and likeness of those announced in other countries such as France, Italy or Portugalwhose governments have announced similar solutions to the rise in prices of fuels for carriers and that will be approved on March 29 by the Council of Ministers for its entry into force on April 1. “On the part of some political parties and some stirrers insisted that there be a tax rebate for road transport but we knew that these measures were not going to have an effect on the road transport sector, since our taxation is the lowest in Europe and, furthermore, a VAT reduction did not make sense either because being professionals they can carry out a deduction of this tax“, has defended the minister.
With this commitment, in the absence of details on the amount and the way in which the fuel will be discounted, the meeting of around seven hours in which the Government has also promised to proceed to carry out the return of professional diesel monthlyis currently practiced quarterly, as well as the publication of the professional diesel variation index weekly. “When you talk about having weekly referrals in the ministry websitein times of stable costs it would not be necessary, but now it is necessary to evaluate weekly what is the cost of fuel“, justified the president of the merchandise department of the CNTC, Carmel Gonzalez, on this last measure.
Stoppages in the sector
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González has apologized to all those affected by the stoppages of the Platform for the Defense of the National and International Road Freight Transport Sector, which began last week and which have caused the stoppage of the activity of several factories and the shortage of some foods on the supermarket shelves. “We ask apologiesalthough it is not our responsibility, to the self-employed and companies that have been affected by a transport stoppage that this Committee has never wanted”, said Carmelo González, after the minister announced the agreement.
For his part, Sánchez has trusted that this announcement dissuade the platform to maintain the strikes. “We condemn the violence, coercion and threats that some have preferred against their own colleagues. We are going to continue to ensure safety conditions for carriers who want to go out to work and who, with this agreement, see that the commitment of this Government is with them to defend their safety and also defend their interests,” said Sánchez.