On Friday, the fuel tax relief approved by the German federal government comes into effect. For two months, tax rates on petrol and diesel will be reduced by around 17 cents per litre each.
However, the cut is not expected to be passed on to consumers immediately or in full, analysts anticipate a delayed and gradual reduction at the pump.
The oil industry association en2x has assured the public that the tax reduction will be passed on in its entirety, but stressed that prices at the forecourt depend primarily on global market prices for fuels.
Delays may occur for "logistical" reasons: energy tax is levied at the point of collection from refineries and large fuel depots as part of the purchase price, meaning that fuel already stocked at petrol stations in the first days of May was at least partly purchased at the old tax rate.
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