PARIS: French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Saturday that distributors would be allowed to sell gasoline at a loss for several months to allow them to lower prices, reported Sputnik.
“They cannot lower prices any further because the law has prohibited them from selling at a loss since 1963. Today I am announcing to you that, for fuel only, and for a limited period of a few months, we are going to lift this ban, which will allow distributors to reduce prices even further “, Borne told Le Parisien newspaper, adding that this measure will help achieve “tangible results for the French without subsidising fuel.”
Born added that since 2022, several measures had been taken in France against rising fuel prices. At the same time, she noted that the government would like “everyone to take responsibility,“ like energy company TotalEnergies, which caps its prices at 1.99 euros (US$2.12) per litre or large retailers who operate at cost.
Gasoline prices in France have been rising in recent months and at a number of gas stations, they have long exceeded 2 euros per litre. Earlier this week, Paris drivers told RIA Novosti that they could no longer afford to fill up a full tank, adding that owning a personal car was becoming unprofitable. - Bernama
