ARBÖ: Fill up the car! Fuel will be more expensive on January 1st

2023-12-26 09:00:46

At the beginning of 2024, drivers will have to dig deeper into their pockets when refueling.

Vienna (OTS) – The CO2 tax will be increased again on January 1, 2024, and fuel will become more expensive again in Austria. In the future, you will have to pay 45 euros for one ton of carbon dioxide emitted. “All drivers in Austria should fill up their cars in the next week,” says ARBÖ President Dr. Peter Rezar. From January 1, 2024, a liter of diesel will be 3.7 cents more expensive, and a liter of gasoline will be 3.4 cents more expensive. “If you want to save money, you have to fill up your car by December 31, 2023 at the latest,” recommends the ARBÖ President. Since many Austrians are likely to take advantage of the last chance for cheaper fuel, a rush to gas stations can be expected, especially in the last days of 2023. The ARBÖ advises not to wait too long to fill up the tank so that you don’t get stuck in traffic at the gas pumps on New Year’s Eve.

With the new increase in the CO2 tax, which is raised every year as planned in the government program, Austrian drivers are already paying a total of 13.5 cents per liter of diesel and 12.3 cents per liter of gasoline for climate protection. Fuel prices have a massive impact on low-income families, pensioners and employees who have to drive to work, says Rezar. The climate bonus, which is intended to compensate for CO2 pricing, is far from enough to offset the additional costs caused by generally higher energy prices. The economy is also feeling the effects of higher fuel costs, emphasizes the ARBÖ President. If the transport industry passes on the higher delivery costs – triggered by the CO2 tax – to consumers unfiltered and products and goods become even more expensive, this will ultimately fuel the wave of inflation again. “In the current situation in Austria with price increases and still high inflation, higher taxes are the wrong economic policy,” says the ARBÖ President.

In addition to the CO2 tax, the federal government will again increase the standard consumption tax and the motor-related insurance tax on January 1, 2024, as it does every year, even though overall car costs have risen by a huge 30 percent in the past three years. “Despite this cost explosion, the federal government is using every opportunity for new automotive taxes under the guise of climate protection and is taking even more money out of drivers’ pockets,” says Rezar angrily. “If things continue like this, driving will soon become a luxury in Austria.”