By calling Tuesday, February 21 to a new ” gesture “ on diesel, the president, Emmanuel Macron, put pressure on the big producers by calling on them to “the spirit of responsibility”targeting TotalEnergies, which recently dangled new discounts at the pump.
“I hope that the dialogue can be finalized between the ministry and the companies concerned as was done last year on fuels with rebates at the pump which had been made by companies like Total”said Emmanuel Macron from the Rungis wholesale market.
The president was making his very first outing there in contact with his fellow citizens since the launch of the pension reform at the start of the year, and was accompanied by the Minister of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau, and the Minister for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME), Olivia Grégoire.
“We can also have again gestures that are madeadded Mr. Macron. I know the spirit of responsibility of our major producers and retailers and I think it is important at a time when we need to support our compatriots. »
Immediately asked about this ” gesture “on CNews, the Minister of Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, also appealed to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of TotalEnergies, Patrick Pouyanné: “I say to the boss of Total, which makes quite a few profits in France but a lot in the rest of the world: invest in France, invest in the energy transition, and give back everything you can to the French. I think it will benefit our country. »
Pouyanné “ready to consider it”
Asked in the wake of Emmanuel Macron’s statements, TotalEnergies referred to Mr. Pouyanné’s remarks at the time of the announcement of the record net profit of 20.5 billion euros earned in 2022 by the multinational. On February 8, when fuel prices approached 2 euros per liter, TotalEnergies had, in fact, dangled French motorists discounts at the pump, but not so much that strikes against the pension reform disrupt fuel shipments. “We are ready to consider” a new discount, announced Patrick Pouyanné, acknowledging that a liter of fuel at 2 euros was a “psychological threshold (…) in the minds of the French. However, he did not give any details on the amount or the conditions of this rebate.
Last week, diesel was sold in France at an average price of 1.8382 euros per liter, almost stable compared to the previous week. Unleaded gasoline for its part was sold on average at 1.9070 euro per litre, also almost stable, as was SP95-E10 at 1.8776 euro per litre.
From September to December 2022, TotalEnergies had granted discounts at the pump of 20 cents, then 10 cents in its stations, for a total cost of 550 million euros. This was on top of a state-funded rebate, which ended on December 31 and which the government was unwilling to extend in the name of fiscal responsibility.
Instead, a fuel allowance of 100 euros can be requested from mid-January, and until the end of March, for the 10 million poorest tax households using the car to go to work. Tuesday morning, Agnès Pannier-Runacher recalled that this fuel allowance had not yet been requested by many potential beneficiaries.
How do I claim fuel compensation?
This aid applies to any type of vehicle, including motorized two-wheelers and cars without a license (electric bicycles and scooters are excluded). Company vehicles or long-term rental vehicles are eligible, but not company vehicles, the fuel costs of which are borne by the employer.
To be eligible, you must have a reference tax income of less than 14,700 euros in 2021, i.e. 1,314 euros net per month for a single person, or 3,941 euros for a couple with two children. A modest couple who works and owns two vehicles can benefit from two grants, i.e. 200 euros.
The persons concerned can go to the site impots.gouv.fr from Monday January 16 at 9 a.m. until February 28. They must enter their tax number and that of their license plate, then complete a “declaration on honor » pointing out that they need their car to go to work, in order to receive these 100 euros in their bank account from January 27.
Those who do not have access to online services can go to the nearest France services point, to the tax department, or contact 0 806 000 229, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.