After capping gasoline prices to address inflation, the government decided to sell fuel at a loss. The measure, which he wants to make effective “at the beginning of December”, was received this Monday with some skepticism. But “compensation” is planned for independent service stations, the professional union Mobilians announced in the afternoon.
The Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, the Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, and the Minister Delegate in charge of SMEs, Trade and Crafts, Olivia Grégoire, have committed to launching a “support plan to traditional service stations”, which includes in particular “compensation measures”, the union, which represents 5,800 service stations, excluding supermarkets, said in a statement.
“The Mobilians had warned this Saturday of the serious consequences that the measure of selling at a loss would generate,” the union said, congratulating the ministers present at this meeting for “their listening.” “In fact, this provision is not viable for independent distributors, who will not be able to offset the losses from this activity with other income, in particular with food products. »
The opposition had also criticized the measure
On Sunday, the opposition also criticized Élisabeth Borne’s announcement to authorize the sale of fuel at a loss due to “even lower prices.”
For the right, Éric Ciotti made a “unenthusiastic evaluation” of this planning, without “a very clear perspective on the means to carry it out and finance it.” He calls for a conference “on energy prices” and a reduction in taxes on gas and electricity instead of selling at a loss, “a placebo on a wooden leg” in his eyes.
Small service stations “will not be able to afford” a sale at a loss, estimated EELV national secretary Marine Tondelier, who would prefer to “tax the super profits” of TotalEnergies or give fuel checks “to those who have the right to do so.” It is no longer necessary “.
