The bonus of 20 cents per liter of fuel will come into force on April 1, it will be accessible to all consumers, it will be applicable until June 30 and it will have a budgetary impact of some 1,423 million euros, according to calculations by the Ministry of Finance.
What type of fuel will be entitled to the discount?
According to the royal decree with a shock plan measure against the effects of the war approved this Tuesday in the Council of Ministers, the products whose acquisition will entitle the bonus will be gasoline, diesel A and B, diesel for maritime use, liquefied petroleum gases for vehicle propulsion, liquefied compressed natural gas for vehicles, liquefied natural gas, bioethanol, biodiesel, as well as blends of gasoline with bioethanol or diesel with biodiesel that require specific labelling. The acquisition of the AdBlue additive will also give the right to the discount.
Who pays the bonus?
The reduction promoted by this Royal Decree-law amounts to 0.20 euros per liter or per kilo of refueled fuel both by private users and by companies and the self-employed. Of this bonus, 15 cents will be assumed by the State Budget. Fuel operators with refining capacity in Spain and an annual turnover of more than 750 million euros must add 5 cents to the discount (20 in total). Operators who, before April 1, communicate their willingness to make a discount greater than those 5 cents by any other mechanism, such as loyalty cards, will not be obliged to satisfy this benefit. This has already been announced by Repsol, Cepsa and EDP. In the event that there is no discount by the operator (due to not having refining capacity in Spain or having a turnover of less than 750 million), the State will assume the total amount of the 20 cent discount.
Will the discount appear on the ticket?
The bonus will be applied at the point of sale and refueling. In each supply that is made under the conditions that suppose the application of the bonus, a discount will be made on the final invoice, taxes included, equivalent to the amount of the bonus. The purchase ticket must reflect the amount of the operation, distinguishing the price before applying the discount and after applying the bonus, as well as the amount of the discount applied and an express reference to the royal decree law.
How will gas stations manage it?
The operators may request the return of the bonuses made. To do so, they must submit monthly, in the first fifteen calendar days of May, June and July, through the Electronic Headquarters of the State Tax Administration Agency (AEAT) or the corresponding regional administration, a request for a refund of the bonuses made in the previous month. In any case, before April 15, 2022, the operator may request an advance payment from the tax administration for an amount equivalent to 90% of the average monthly volume of sales, with a maximum of two million euros and a minimum of 1,000 euros.
How much will families save?
According to OCU calculations, for an average household, the reduction will mean a saving of 65 euros in the case of diesel and 75 euros in the case of gasoline over the next three months as a whole. OCU denounces that, despite the reduction, fuel prices will continue to be well above the prices at the beginning of the year. The National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC) will be in charge of monitoring that the bonus of 20 cents per liter of fuel reaches all drivers in full and will put the magnifying glass on the margins of the companies.