‘We are being massacred by this pricing policy’, says leader of self-employed truck drivers about Petrobras’ hike

The new gasoline and diesel price readjustment announced by Petrobras this Friday (17th) should reinforce the movement of self-employed truck drivers against Petrobras’ pricing policy. Leaders of the category criticize the increases and believe that the impacts on the pockets of Brazilians can lead to specific stoppages in the country.

“We are being massacred by this pricing policy. The government can eliminate all taxes and the situation will not change”, says José Roberto Stringasci, president of ANTB (National Transport Association of Brazil) and coordinator of the Sovereign Brazil movement.

The state-owned company announced an increase of 5.2% in the liter of gasoline and 14.2% in that of diesel oil. The new prices will go into effect this Saturday (18). For Stringasci, the readjustments impact not only autonomous transporters and other truck drivers, but affect all Brazilians.

“We all pay, regardless of whether you have a car or not, whether you have a bicycle; 70% of everything we need throughout the day is derived from oil and these adjustments are passed on.”

He says that the category has mobilized to raise awareness among civil society against the pricing policy and believes that there may be occasional stoppages by truck drivers in the coming weeks, especially in states like Bahia. “In Bahia is where they are being most affected. I believe there will be stoppages there, yes, but the movement is not exclusive to the category, it is the population”, he says.

In the south of the country, the situation also points to “spontaneous movements against the situation”, according to Carlos Alberto Litti Dahmer, leader of the category in Rio Grande do Sul, who is on the board of CNTTL (National Confederation of Transport and Logistics Workers). .

“Each time these measures are taken, the country’s economic situation deteriorates, all due to the desire to maintain price parity with the international market in order to give money to shareholders, to the detriment of Petrobras itself and the Brazilian people”, he says.

Dhamer says that, in Rio Grande do Sul, the increase in fuel should be even greater, since, according to him, the ICMS (Tax on the Circulation of Goods and Services) will rise. “Today it is 12% and will go to 17%.”

“It doesn’t just impact the category, it impacts the entire Brazilian population. Behind this increase is certainly cooking gas. [reajuste] passed on to freight, it is inflation in the veins, on the plate of the worker, of those who can still eat, because many are already starving.”

Sought after, the Economy Ministry said it would not comment. Petrobras did not manifest itself until the publication of this text.

Diesel rose about 40 days ago

The new gasoline adjustment takes place after 99 days without increases. As a result, the average price of fuel at the state-owned refineries will rise from R$3.86 to R$4.06 per liter. The price of diesel will go from R$ 4.91 to R$ 5.61 per liter. The last adjustment occurred 39 days ago.

On Wednesday (15), Congress concluded the vote on a bill that establishes a ceiling for ICMS rates on fuel, which can reduce the average price of gasoline by R$ 0.657 per liter, according to a projection by consultant Dietmar Schupp.

Next week, Congress debates the so-called PEC (Proposed Amendment to the Constitution) on Fuels, which authorizes the government to zero federal taxes on gasoline and compensate states that were willing to reduce ICMS on diesel and cooking gas. .