Prime Minister says that Portugal will defend the hypothesis and “advantages of the joint acquisition of fuel” – O Jornal Económico
The prime minister, António Costa, explained that “Portugal will defend that the possibility and advantages of the joint acquisition of fuel be studied” at the next meeting of the European Council.
Costa responds to the majority of the parties with parliamentary representation, during the plenary meeting, who asked him what would be the position of Portugal in the face of an energy crisis that is shaking the whole of Europe. “Portugal will defend the study of the possibility and advantages of the joint acquisition of fuel, which proved to be good in vaccines”, said the official.
It should be recalled that the price of fuel rose again by around one cent per liter, on Monday, having covered gasoline and diesel.
In addition to the joint purchase, Costa considers it important to “complement the internal market, which is currently fragmented and that means solving the problem of interconnections”.
“Resolve the problem of interconnections between us and Spain, between the Iberian Peninsula and the whole of the European Union”, said the prime minister, adding that this connection is added to the one that Portugal has with third countries. “We can be a gateway to clean energy or transition energy from third countries.”
“We have to have a consistent position with what we have defended, the most strategic challenge facing humanity is climate change and therefore we have to respond to this situational crisis without losing the direction that should guide us”, stressed the first- minister.
Still on the Energy sector, Costa mentioned that: “We are now adopting the same measure that we had adopted in 2016: we are giving back to ISP [[imposto sobre produtos petrolíferos] all the surplus gain we made in VAT. We started last Friday and this week we will do it again. We will continue to do so to give back to the Portuguese what is the excess taxation that we are receiving in VAT”.
According to Costa, this will be a “transitional measure to respond to this critical situation that, looking to the future markets, will not end before March and which, according to the European Union, will accompany us during the winter”.
On Friday, October 15, the Secretary of State for Fiscal Affairs announced that the Government will reflect in the reduction of ISP rates the 63 million euros of VAT collected in view of the increase in the average selling price to the public. The measure resulted in a reduction of two cents in the ISP for gasoline and one cent in the ISP for diesel as of Saturday.
However, on Monday, the Portuguese Association of Oil Companies (Apetro) warned that a “marginal reduction” in the Tax on Oil and Energy Products (ISP) “will not make a difference in the pockets of consumers.”