Diesel Prices Are Rising
“Not enough profit”: OMV circumvents the fuel price cap
The government-mandated fuel price cap is intended to ease the burden on drivers starting in early April 2026. However, when it comes to diesel, OMV is currently implementing this measure only partially and is not passing on the full savings to customers. E-Control intends to investigate this unilateral reduction.
As is well known, the fuel price cap was made possible by a reduction in the mineral oil tax and the requirement that oil companies forgo five cents in profit per liter. At the moment, however, customers are getting the short end of the stick when it comes to diesel, as reported by the Ö1 Morning Journal—and not just at OMV gas stations, since the company supplies more than just its own.
Profit margin insufficient
Instead of the intended five cents, the company is passing on only 2.8 cents per liter—roughly half. The rationale: Legally, this approach is permissible if the profit margin is insufficient. The company cites an “emergency clause.” This clause states that companies must not sell “without a reasonable profit.”
The background: OMV—as the only refinery in Austria—must import fuel itself, as it does not produce as much as the country needs. However, the company was unable to secure a five-cent-per-liter discount from foreign suppliers. That is why the reduction was cut to 2.8 cents, according to the “Ö1 Morgenjournal.”
The regulatory authority E-Control is aware of the situation. It monitors compliance with margin limits and can request information from the companies regarding their calculations.
“Letter announced”
Johannes Mayer holds out the prospect of an investigation as soon as the relevant documents are available: “We were told that a letter would be sent to us. If it doesn’t arrive soon, we will take active steps with OMV. But I assume the notification will come soon.”
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has also issued a clear response: A special audit is being prepared there to take a closer look at pricing.
Gas stations may raise prices daily again
Until April 12, gas stations were allowed to raise their prices only three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) as an additional measure. This three-day rule is already a thing of the past. Price reductions were—and remain—possible at any time.
This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.
Liebe Leserin, lieber Leser,
die Kommentarfunktion steht Ihnen ab 6 Uhr wieder wie gewohnt zur Verfügung.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
das krone.at-Team
User-Beiträge geben nicht notwendigerweise die Meinung des Betreibers/der Redaktion bzw. von Krone Multimedia (KMM) wieder. In diesem Sinne distanziert sich die Redaktion/der Betreiber von den Inhalten in diesem Diskussionsforum. KMM behält sich insbesondere vor, gegen geltendes Recht verstoßende, den guten Sitten oder der Netiquette widersprechende bzw. dem Ansehen von KMM zuwiderlaufende Beiträge zu löschen, diesbezüglichen Schadenersatz gegenüber dem betreffenden User geltend zu machen, die Nutzer-Daten zu Zwecken der Rechtsverfolgung zu verwenden und strafrechtlich relevante Beiträge zur Anzeige zu bringen (siehe auch AGB). Hier können Sie das Community-Team via unserer Melde- und Abhilfestelle kontaktieren.