Tomorrow, Saturday, October 1st, CO2 pricing will come into force in Austria – and thus also in Upper Austria. This makes the liter of fuel around eight cents more expensive. The prospect of this has led to long queues in front of the gas pumps throughout the state for days. The “Krone” asked around and found out: Most motorists have no understanding for the new tax!
Starting tomorrow, Saturday, CO2 pricing will drive up the price at the pumps. A liter of diesel will cost more than 2 euros, for premium petrol you will have to pay between 1.75 and 1.79 euros. Many drivers are still filling their tanks with the cheaper fuel and there has been panic buying for days with two or three cars, others fill up six or seven canisters.” Filling stations are fighting to fill their large tanks three times the daily amount compared to before. The biggest challenge for us lies in the logistics. In the last few days it has been difficult to get enough tankers to fill our tanks so often.” Nevertheless, there have hardly been any bottlenecks so far. It is a burden and not a relief.” He speaks from the heart of many drivers who do not understand the increase. Matthias Geisberger from Schwand, Innviertel: “I think the increase in fuel prices is the greatest cheek. Everything is getting more expensive, soon you won’t be able to afford to drive away by car.” “I depend on the car”Regina Weidinger from Gallneukirchen near Linz: “I depend on the car because I live a little outside of town. I try to combine trips, such as visiting the doctor with the hairdresser. The CO2 tax comes at an absolutely inopportune time.”Commuters affectedThe opposition politicians also commented on the increase at the petrol pumps. Thomas Antlinger, SPÖ member of the state parliament, says: “Many people are currently very concerned about inflation. In this crisis situation, artificially increasing the cost of energy instead of reducing it is absurd and simply irresponsible.” Manfred Haimbuchner, head of the FPÖ in Upper Austria and LH Vice: “Commuters, but also the economy, cannot restrict themselves when filling up. The additional costs can no longer be borne.” That is why he demands “that the CO2 tax be shelved.” Not only the price, but also the consumption counts Christian Gratzer from the mobility organization VCÖ sees more factors: “We always only talk about the price. We should also see the consumption, which is currently 6.5 liters per 100 kilometers. But the car industry has been promising us cars with lower fuel consumption for years. It’s her turn now!” He recommends “gliding instead of speeding!” because fuel-efficient driving helps the wallet.
source site-12