The government was accused of profiting from fuel price increases. We are very unfamiliar with this..

The sentence "If I had a car in Lisbon, I would be hesitant to go to fill the tank on Monday morning" is actually the summary of the reality we experience in the field. Because the country starts the week with that terrible price hike feeling we know from the parallel universe. Judging by ANAREC data, gasóleo (diesel) will jump by 9 cêntimo per liter and gasolina (gasoline) by 3.5 cêntimo. In other words, pump prices are already exceeding the 2 Euro limit before our eyes; The average diesel price is 2,058 € and gasoline is 2,009 €. While those using public transportation and those trying to get into their cars to get to work have already been out of breath for a long time, the political agenda naturally caught fire. PS leader José Luís Carneiro appeared before journalists in Porto and blamed the government directly. It's not unfair; Every time prices increase, the share of taxes entering the state's coffers also increases. The calculation brought by Carneiro is clear: Even with this latest increase, the government will collect more than 9 centimos per liter of extra tax from diesel and more than 6 centimos from gasoline. Since tensions in the Middle East escalated, there has been a massive increase of 44 centimo in diesel prices and 30 centimo in gasoline. Since the current government took office, the amount of money left by the public in the form of fuel tax alone has exceeded 1,048 billion Euros. There is a fire in the kitchen, rents have skyrocketed, the grocery cart gets more and more empty every week; But in transportation, which is our most basic need, the burden is multiplied instead of being lightened. Socialists remind that they brought a proposal to the parliament to temporarily reduce the VAT on fuel, but this was rejected by the votes of AD, CHEGA and IL. The Minister of Economy from the government side only says, "We are following the situation closely and constantly evaluating whether ISP intervention is required." However, for those of us who live in the field and face those costs every day, saying "we are monitoring the situation" does not solve anything. In the face of these costs that burden people and small businesses, it is necessary to see concrete steps to be taken immediately, not promises on paper. Following is not enough; Real measures, even if temporary, are essential to ensure that the citizens who shoulder this burden can breathe.