With fuels reaching historic price records (a liter of additive gasoline surpassed the 2 euro mark (about R$ 13.04) in some regions of the country), the government of Portugal announced a national discount program. The measure takes effect on November 10th.
The population will be entitled to a discount of 10 euro cents (approximately R$0.65) for each liter of fuel filled. The promotion has a limit of 50 liters per month per person, which equates to a maximum discount of 5 euros (R$ 32.60) per month.
If the benefit is not used in a month, it accumulates for the following month.
The extraordinary measure was approved by the Council of Ministers and will remain in effect until March 2022.
The Portuguese government estimates returning up to 132.5 million euros (R$863.75 million) to consumers in the country.
The subsidy will be paid by transfer to the bank account of the supplier. For this, it will be necessary to register on a special platform, the so-called Ivaucher system, which already returns part of the amounts spent on taxes (called VAT) to the Portuguese in the cultural, restaurant and hotel sector.
All residents in Portugal who have a NIF (Tax Identification Number, a kind of Portuguese CPF) will be entitled to the benefit.
Fuel prices had significant increases across Europe, but Portugal is currently the seventh country in the European Union where it is more expensive to fuel.
According to the latest bulletin from the European Commission, the average price of a liter of simple gasoline in the country is 1.72 euros (about R$ 11.21). The EU average is 1.64 euros (R$ 10.69).
With the increase in prices in recent months, more and more Portuguese are crossing the border to fill up at gas stations in Spain. In the neighboring country, although the minimum wage is higher than in Portugal, supplying supplies is much more affordable. The average price per liter of gasoline is 1.49 euros (R$ 9.71).
