The draft laws were adopted by the government and submitted to the Sejm on Thursday, and the next day they were passed by the Sejm and the Senate. On the same day, the acts were signed by President Karol Nawrocki. The government wanted the new regulations to come into force before Easter to mitigate the effects of the increases before the holiday travel period.
The amendment to the Act on Crude Oil Stocks creates a mechanism for setting the maximum price of fuel at stations. The amount of the limit is to result from:
- average national wholesale price,
- excise duty and fuel surcharge,
- sales margin of PLN 0.30/l,
- VAT.
Fuel companies will be obliged to report price data to the Ministry of Energy on a daily basis, which will allow the limits to be updated on an ongoing basis.
Read also: The new act changes fuel prices. Changes at stations only from Tuesday
The maximum price will be announced by the Minister of Energy in the form of an announcement. It is valid from the day following its publication. If the advertisement appears before a weekend or holiday, the rate will remain unchanged until the first business day. Sellers can still offer fuel below the limit.
Lower excise duty and VAT until the end of June
At the same time, an amendment to the Excise Duty Act entered into force, which allows the government to temporarily, until June 30, lowering excise tax rates regulation. The changes will cover petrol and diesel.
Deputy Minister of Finance Jarosław Neneman announced that the draft regulations are ready: the excise tax on gasoline is to drop by PLN 29/l and on diesel oil by PLN 28/l. A reduction in the VAT rate on fuels has also been prepared.
The Ministry of Finance estimates that the cost of the excise tax reduction is approximately PLN 700 million per month, and the VAT reduction is approximately PLN 900 million per month.
Read also: The Prime Minister announces the “CPN package”. This reference is not a coincidence
Possible “windfall tax” for corporations
Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced that if the government finds excessive profits of fuel companies, it may introduce a tax on excess profits. The mechanism would discourage disproportionate increases in margins during periods of fluctuations in raw material prices.
Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka emphasized that the fuel sector is going through “the biggest crisis in 50 years” – driven simultaneously by a decline in oil supply and a global price increase.
