Initially it applied to everyone, later only to Hungarian car owners or citizens whose countries had similar discounts. We are talking about the Hungarian fuel discount. Due to bottlenecks in the supply of diesel and petrol, the Hungarian government must now further restrict the sale of petrol at the state-regulated price.
According to the regulation published on Saturday, only Hungarian private vehicle owners and Hungarian taxi drivers or owners of agricultural vehicles are now allowed to refuel at a price of 480 forints (about 1.19 euros). Commercial vehicles, which were able to benefit from the capped price until Saturday, now have to pay almost double the market price.
Downtime due to maintenance work
On the one hand, Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s office pointed to the disruptions caused by ongoing maintenance at the refinery in Szazhalombatta near the capital Budapest. The factory supplies almost the entire country with fuel products. Due to the war in Ukraine, the government in Budapest is only releasing about a third of its strategic reserves, as Orban’s chief of staff Gergely Gulyas explained in a news conference on Saturday. Therefore, it must be bought more expensive abroad.
In addition to limiting the group of recipients, the new regulation also extended the control powers of the gas station operators. The gas stations in the country are ordered to check the vehicle papers and registration certificates even more strictly. The data must also be passed on to the tax authorities for verification.
European Commission takes action against fuel discount
Incidentally, the fuel discount in Hungary has resulted in an infringement procedure by the European Commission. According to the Brussels authorities, the measure violates the rules of the internal market. If Hungary does not allay the concerns of the European Commission in the course of the procedure, the authority could refer the country to the European Court of Justice.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
