The price of a 13-kilogram butane gas cylinder, the most used by Portuguese households, could reach 40 euros by the end of the year, due to pressure on energy prices, warned today by Deco Proteste.
In a statement, the consumer protection organization indicated that the average price of a butane gas cylinder surpassed 37.50 euros in October, after starting the year at 34.11 euros and reaching 37.31 euros in May, according to data from the Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE).
Deco had already anticipated, at the outset of the Middle East conflict, that the price could reach 38 euros in the first half of the year, a value that was almost reached, warning now of further increases that could worsen the costs shouldered by households.
According to the organization, about 2.1 million households in Portugal continue to use bottled gas for essential needs, such as cooking or heating water.
Geopolitical instability in the Middle East has contributed to pressure on energy markets, with ripple effects on the prices of fuels and gas.
In the case of bottled gas, production, transport and distribution costs, as well as fluctuations in international quotations for petroleum products, also influence the final price, the association listed.
Deco Proteste explained that the value chain of bottled gas involves a lag of about two months between changes in the price of the raw material and the purchase of the product by the consumer, anticipating that the current rise in wholesale market prices will translate into substantial increases by the end of the year.
Given this scenario, the organization insists on applying the reduced VAT rate of 6% to bottled and piped gas, similar to what applies to other essential goods and services.
Currently, bottled butane and propane gas and piped propane gas are subject to the maximum VAT rate of 23%, a situation Deco considers punitive for consumers, especially in a context of continued energy price increases.
The organization estimated that, for a cylinder with a final price of 40 euros, the reduction of VAT from 23% to 6% would allow a saving of about 5.53 euros, if the tax cut were fully reflected in the price paid by the consumer.
The association also stressed that the price of bottled gas includes the Petroleum Products Tax (ISP) and that, unlike what happened with road fuels, no mechanism was created to compensate this value in light of the rise in VAT revenues collected by the State.
The organization therefore considers it essential to adopt measures that make energy more affordable for households.
