The lower excise tax on fuel introduced by the Polish government has attracted not only Poles, but also German drivers. Increasingly often, Germans prefer to tank up at gas stations on the Polish side of the border.
German tabloid newspaper Bild broadly described the entire situation in an article titled “Tanke, Polen!” (wordplay on the German word for thanks, which is “danke”).
Speaking to the paper, 31-year-old Martin said that when he noticed the very low fuel prices at a Polish station, he almost had a full tank, but still decided to buy just a bit of fuel. Even then, he said had saved €9 with his purchase.
Other respondents explained that while their preferred fuel cost €1.83 per liter in Dresden, the fuel prices in Zgorzelec across the Polish border were only €1.25.
Another German, 36-year-old Norman, even brought a whole canister of fuel with him back to his country. While purchasing 53 liters of fuel, he had saved €30.75.
Excise tax on fuel in Poland has been lowered to the minimum permissible level in the European Union between Dec. 20, 2021 and May 20, 2022 in order to fight stubborn inflation. The government also had announced that starting Jan. 1, 2022, and until May 31, 2022, fuel will be exempted from retail sales tax and emission charges.
These changes are the government’s response to the turmoil on the European market, and the inflation which has affected all of the EU and has hit ordinary citizens in particular.
