Mickoski: Diesel savings for citizens exceed 250,000 euros per day

North Macedonia’s Prime Minister, Hristijan Mickoski, responding today to a journalist’s question about what the real price of fuel would be if the Government had not approved the decision to cut the value-added tax, said the price would be 11–11.5 denars higher.

“If this decision had not been taken, as well as the previous decisions to cut the excise duty, for example, the price of diesel fuel would be about 11–11.5 denars higher per liter than it is today.

In other words, taking into account the increase in the quantity of fuel sold at petrol stations in the country, especially at those gravitating in the northern, western and southern parts of the country, due to the pressure of citizens coming from Greece, Albania and Serbia, we have reached over 2 million liters of fuel sold at petrol stations in Macedonia.

Given that about 70 percent is diesel fuel, then we arrive at around 1 million 400 thousand, 1 million 500 thousand liters. This means that on the basis of diesel fuel, the daily savings of the country’s citizens are more than 250,000 euros.

Or, if a period of about two weeks is taken into account, and if the already approved cut of the customs duty, respectively excise duty, for unleaded petrol with 95 and 98 octanes is also taken into account, then we reach a sum of 4.2 to 4.5 million euros. This is the direct saving that our citizens have.

While the indirect saving is reflected in the low inflation rate. Already for two months, in July and August, at the height of the biggest world energy crisis that humanity remembers, we have, I would say, one of the lowest inflation rates, much lower than the European Union.

In the region we are among the countries with the lowest rate, only our northern neighbor, Serbia, has an inflation rate about 0.3–0.2 percent lower.

And what I also want to emphasize is that we currently have the lowest price of diesel fuel and unleaded petrol with 95 and 98 octanes, and if compared with the prices our neighbors have, even in Europe, then the difference is from 20 to 50 percent,” said Mickoski. /Telegrafi/