Belgium could collect as much as €74 million in additional monthly revenue from the automatic increases in VAT on diesel, petrol, heating oil, and natural gas, a study published on Thursday by the Belgian far-left socialist party, PVDA-PTB, warned.
That amount is based on fuel prices from earlier this week, but PTB warns that further price hikes could push monthly revenue as high as €94 million.
Sofie Merckx, PTB’s parliamentary leader, criticised what she described as "a perverse mechanism," stating that "multinational oil companies and the state are profiting from this crisis, while workers are facing exorbitant fuel and energy costs." She called the situation "unacceptable" in a statement.
The party is advocating for an immediate cap on fuel prices, proposing a maximum price of €1.60 per litre. A petition backing this measure has already gathered 20,000 signatures in recent days, PTB said.
Merckx highlighted the impact of government-imposed levies, explaining that €0.72 per litre of fuel currently consists of taxes, including VAT. She urged the state to reduce these taxes to bring prices down immediately.
The PTB also targeted oil companies' excess profits, demanding a one-time contribution from these firms. Similar measures have been implemented in other European countries, according to PTB.
"It’s unacceptable that a handful of companies are profiting at the expense of workers. Let the war profiteers pay, not families," Merckx added.
