The government has allowed a cap on fuel prices

The certification allowing the government to reduce margins for the sale of fuel was published Thursday in Diario da Republic and took effect Friday, according to the text of the law.

The document states “the possibility of setting maximum marketing margins for simple fuels”, an initiative of the government, now enacted by the National Assembly of the Republic.

Thus, the certificate states that “regardless of the declaration of the state of energy crisis set forth in the preceding figures, for reasons of public interest and to ensure the orderly operation of the market and to protect consumers, margins may be established, exceptionally, in any of the commercial components that make up the retail price of simple fuels.” or bottled liquefied petroleum gas.

According to the law, which amends numerous decrees setting out general principles related to the organization and operation of the national petroleum system, “maximum margins” can be established for any of the activities in the value chain for simple fuels or bottled LPG, set by order of members of the government responsible for the economic and energy fields under a proposal from the Energy Services Regulatory Authority and after consultation with the Competition Authority.”

The certification also states that “the maximum margins indicated in the foregoing figures shall be limited in time.”

In July, the government approved, in the Council of Ministers (CM), a proposal to allow the reduction of fuel marketing margins by decree, in the event it deems it too high “unjustifiably”, according to the environment minister.

At a press conference, João Pedro Matos Fernandez said that this certificate, which also covers gas cylinders, will then be sent to the Council of the Republic, stressing that the procedure will be “limited in time”.

The intent of the law is to “give the government a tool so that when margins in the sale of fuel and gas cylinders are proven to be unusually high and unjustifiably high, this authority, by decree, limits these same margins,” the statement said. government official.

“After it is approved [a proposta de lei]And also the government can always listen to ERSE [Entidade Reguladora dos Serviços Energéticos] And the competition authority, depending on the order, always for limited periods of time, which I imagine for a month or two, administratively sets the maximum margin for the sale of fuel”, said João Matos Fernández.

The government official noted that this margin “is also the sum of the margins related to transportation, warehousing, wholesale distribution and retail distribution itself,” and that these reference values ​​“continue to be calculated from day to day by ENSE.”

He stressed that “as soon as the bill is approved, we will have this tool,” stressing that “the state has no possibility” to intervene in limiting the prices of fuel and gas cylinders.

Sector associations criticized this initiative and accused the government of wanting to divert attention from the heavy taxes on fuel prices.