The Portuguese went to petrol stations today to replenish their deposits on the eve of the biggest fuel price hike in the past six weeks and did not shy away from criticizing the state aid, recalling Spain’s example.
From Monday, the liter of diesel will rise by about 11.5 cents, while the liter of petrol will cost another seven cents, the largest increase in the past six weeks.
By lunchtime, dozens of cars were already queuing at a cheap gas station in Alfragide, but waiting times generally shortened.
“This is a pity every week. They are at war with the people here […]. This makes me nervous every day, on the verge of illness. The Portuguese are paying a bill that they should not pay,” Luís Lopes, 81, said in statements to Lusa, at that gas station.
For Luís Lopes, those who benefit from these increases are the “magnates” of the sector and “the government must take care of this”.
Maria de Jesus Almeida, in turn, took the opportunity to refuel the car before another climb and, despite the queues, ensured that the waiting time did not exceed 10 minutes.
“None of this is justifiable and it already is at all levels. It’s a mafia with the excuse of war, but nothing justifies this speculation,” he noted, pointing out that “giving more money to taxpayers” is an immediate help may be, but not the solution to the problem, as people will not spare it.
As he said, the value of support is “not significant” and “everything has to be through education. People need to learn to deal with what they have and not what they don’t have”.
Despite the increases, Maria de Jesus Almeida said she continues to use the car every day and refuel the same amount of fuel because she needs the vehicle to commute to work.
Carlos Oliveira is a regular customer of this service station, where he travels at least twice a day to refuel his TVDE (Individual and paid passenger transport in uncharacterized vehicles, from an electronic platform).
Recalling the example of Spain, this professional emphasized that he did not understand the constant rises and falls in fuel prices.
As for the help from the executive, Carlos Oliveira thinks they won’t make a difference, “although there are a lot of people waiting for the 125 euros to enrich themselves a bit”, which he sees as an “illusion”.
The driver also lamented the waiting times, especially for those who are going to refuel with LPG, saying that despite having to refuel their personal vehicle, they will not travel again, “to save a few cents”.
Leaving this post, where she filled the car, Maria João Santos, in turn, warned that “those who work in the fields of accounts, finance and mathematics know that what they are doing now [referindo-se aos apoios do Estado]will be taken later”.
Despite the belief that the increases in general will be registered in the coming weeks, Maria João Santos does not expect a strengthening of support.
“Stay here, they won’t give anything else and what they give now, they take away later,” he concluded.
In a similar vein, António Fernandes decided to refuel before the new boost, realizing that while he knew he “will not fix anything”, this is “an old Portuguese maxim”.
This customer, who claims to depend on the car to walk with his grandchildren, was about to leave the gas station without filling up due to the queues, but said the wait was even short.
Regarding possible solutions to these increases, he said he was not on the subject, but asked the executive to “govern” and “do something else”, as in Spain, where there is an immediate cut.
“Apparently we are in charge here. [outra solução]even at the level of indirect taxes,” he pointed out.
On October 5, the alliance of oil producers OPEC+, led by Saudi Arabia and Russia, decided in Vienna to cut production by two million barrels per day, the largest cut since the pandemic.
The announcement was made by Iran’s Deputy Oil Minister, Amir Hossein Zamaninia, at the end of a conference of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its 10 allied producing countries, including Russia, Mexico and Kazakhstan.
In Portugal, the ISP discount remains the same as the 13% reduction in the VAT rate in force until the end of the year, as part of the government support package for families due to the price increases. In addition, the update of the CO2 tax will remain suspended until the end of the year.
From the end of this month, the Portuguese will also receive new support as part of a package of measures to curb the impact of inflation. Among the measures presented, there is a benefit of 125 euros for employees with a gross income of up to 2,700 euros per month.
Retirees who receive less than 5,318 euros per month receive more half-pension.
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