Gasoline price is the target of inspection by Procon this Friday in São Paulo

In an attempt to stop abusive increases in the price of gasoline, Procon-SP (Foundation for Consumer Protection and Defense) carries out, this Friday (11), an inspection at gas stations in the city of São Paulo.

The operation takes place on the same day that the mega-increase announced by Petrobras takes effect, with a readjustment of 18.8% in the liter of gasoline and 24.9% in the diesel sold to distributors. Cooking gas also had an adjustment this Friday, 16.1%.

According to the executive director of Procon-SP, Fernando Capez, the objective of the inspection is to analyze the profit margin of the gas stations and to curb the abusive increase in prices – a practice prohibited by the Consumer Protection Code. On Thursday, shortly after Petrobras’ announcement, gas stations across the country have already started to raise prices, even without receiving the most expensive fuel.

“This increase has not yet harmed suppliers, in this case, gas stations, because they have the old fuel, which they compared with the previous price. There is, therefore, no reason to pass it on to consumers,” said Capez.

This Thursday (10), when Petrobras announced the increase for the following day, long lines were recorded at capital posts such as Brasília, Belo Horizonte, Curitiba and São Paulo, in addition to cities in the interior. Even before the increase reached distributors, some establishments had already raised prices.

José Alberto Gouveia, president of Sincopetro, a union that represents stations in São Paulo, says that there is competition between establishments and that entrepreneurs are free to practice the profit margin they consider appropriate to the business strategy.

According to Gouveia, stations that have low stocks tend to increase their price, because as of this Friday (11) they will have to renew the tanks with the new values ​​announced by Petrobras. Since this Thursday, Procon-SP guides consumers to report price increases in fuels that are abusive.

Oil rises in the wake of the war between Russia and Ukraine

Pressured by the advance of oil prices with the war between Russia and Ukraine, the 18.8% readjustment in gasoline will make the average price go from R$ 3.25 to R$ 3.86 per liter in refineries. For diesel, the increase is even greater, at 24.9%. The value will rise by almost R$ 1 per liter, from R$ 3.61 to R$ 4.51.

With the new adjustments, the price of gasoline at Petrobras refineries accumulates a high of 24.5% in 2022. The price of diesel sold by the state-owned company rose 35%.

According to the ANP (Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás e Biocombustíveis), gasoline and diesel cost, on average, R$6,577 and R$5,668 per liter, respectively, in the week between February 27 and March 5 at Brazilian gas stations. The maximum price of regular gasoline reached R$ 7,859.

Considering that the gasoline sold by Petrobras represents 73% of the mixture sold at gas stations — the rest is anhydrous ethanol — the readjustment at the refineries will have an impact of R$ 0.44 per liter, raising the national average price to around R$ 7 per liter. first time in history.

The average price of diesel, considering that all other installments remain unchanged, reaches a value of around R$ 6.40 per liter.

Gasoline puts pressure on inflation

The rise in fuel prices is one of the main factors that has been putting pressure on inflation. The impact worries President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), who is expected to seek re-election this year. The rise in prices has been felt by Brazilians mainly in food and fuel prices. Government and Congress, however, have not been able to reach a consensus on how to contain the problem.

Considering that the gasoline sold by Petrobras represents 73% of the mixture sold at the gas stations — the rest is anhydrous ethanol — the readjustment at the refineries will have an impact of R$ 0.44 per liter, raising the national average price to around R$ 7 in the bombs for the first time in history.

The average price of diesel, considering that all other installments remain unchanged, would reach a value around R$ 6.40 per liter. Cooking gas, known as LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), will have its first adjustment after 152 days. The average sale price for distributors will go from R$3.86 to R$4.48 per kilo, an adjustment of 16.1%.

The final average price of the 13-kilogram cylinder, most used in homes, has remained stable at around R$102 in recent weeks. With the adjustment by Petrobras, it could rise to around R$ 110, if all other components remain at the same current level.