Unfair fuel tax in the EU

In a bid to counter rising fuel prices France plans to temporarily cut the tax on oil products, French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault announced on Wednesday. Bulgaria had planned to do the same but can't because the fuel tax there is still below the EU's minimum rate. The daily 24 Chasa says this is unfair: "France is allowed to lower its tax on oil products. Because the country has already exceeded the EU's minimum rate, no one can stop it from doing so. We, on the other hand, are not allowed to lower the tax because we won't reach the minimum rate until next year. Nonetheless Brussels should show understanding for Finance Minister Simeo Djankov's proposal to adjust the fuel tax to the living standards of a given EU member country. It's not fair to make poor countries levy the same tax rate on fuel as in rich countries. The European Union aims to promote the free circulation of goods and people. But now the petrol prices are curtailing this freedom."

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