Meloni allows special measures to curb fuel prices due to war in Middle East
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said that the government may introduce a so-called "mobile" fuel tax to curb price increases amid oil supply disruptions caused by the war in the Middle East.
She is quoted by Corriere della Sera, according to Censor.NET, citing European Truth.
On Saturday evening, Meloni stated that she was open to a proposal from the opposition Democratic Party to activate "mobile" excise duties on fuel in order to curb price increases.
We are working to mitigate the impact of this conflict on our citizens and our country as much as possible," Meloni said, adding that the government has activated a working group to monitor energy and food prices in order to understand the situation and quickly identify speculation.
Meloni noted that if fuel price increases become structural, the government will consider applying a "mobile" excise tax on fuel. The mechanism allows profits from higher-than-expected VAT due to price increases to be used to reduce excise taxes.
The issues may be considered at a government meeting on Tuesday, March 10.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, for his part, called the price hikes "speculation," since the Middle East crisis has not yet had a direct impact.
