The fuel discounts are noticed when filling up the tank, but according to Marc Vidal, they also have a cost for public accounts, and that is the starting point of Vidal’s own criticism of the measure approved by the Government: the immediate relief for drivers comes from a lower tax revenue. The economic analyst argues that the direct benefit is not evenly distributed, as those who use the car and consume more fuel receive a larger discount in euros, while those who travel by public transport do not receive that discount when refilling. The discussion gains weight with the still high prices and an inflation that, according to the final data from the National Institute of Statistics, reached 4.9% year-on-year in September, while the tax reduction aims to contain the spending on gasoline and diesel with a savings that depends on the liters consumed by each household. The cost of the tax reduction. En octubre, Vidal expresó su objeción en una intervención en Herrera en COPE, diciendo «lo pagamos todos, conduzcamos o no», para señalar que una reducción de impuestos afecta a las cuentas públicas financiadas por todos los contribuyentes, independientemente de si todos reciben la misma ventaja directa. Este mecanismo está en el Real Decreto-ley 25/2026, que reduce temporalmente el Impuesto sobre Hidrocarburos aplicable a las gasolinas sin plomo y al gasóleo en 20 céntimos por litro durante octubre, de manera que el Estado paga un impuesto menor en lugar de entregar esa cantidad al conductor. Vidal lo expresó de otra forma, diciendo «aquí nadie regala nada», y planteó que quienes viajan en metro contribuyen a financiar el presupuesto público sin obtener el ahorro asociado a la compra de carburante, lo que ilustra su crítica al carácter general de la medida. La secuencia de descuentos previstos fueron 20 céntimos en octubre, 13 en noviembre y seis en diciembre, pero estaba sujeta a la evolución de los precios. La Agencia Tributaria confirmó el 20 de octubre que en noviembre se mantendrá la reducción de 20 céntimos por litro para gasolina sin plomo y gasóleo de uso general. Nadie sabe quién obtendrá más ahorro. The distribution of the benefit is the other part of the criticism because savings increase with fuel consumption: two drivers who refuel different amounts do not receive the same advantage in euros, even though they apply the same tax reduction per liter. Vidal linked this feature to the rent of households and argued that a linear aid favors those who buy more fuel, in absolute terms, a distribution that the Independent Fiscal Responsibility Authority had observed in its analyses of energy measures, detecting a greater concentration of the benefit of these reductions in high-income households. That conclusion does not mean that a family with lower income does not benefit when they need the car to work or move, but it points out a difference between individual savings when refueling and the total cost of the fiscal share: the rebate reaches all consumers of the product, without distinguishing their economic capacity or the need for the trip. The decree also maintains specific aid for sectors dependent on diesel, such as agricultural producers and certain transporters, and in the interview Vidal acknowledged the need to protect some activities, although he questioned whether the general rebate is described as a free discount when it means giving up public revenues.
The fuel discounts are noticed when filling up the tank, but according to Marc Vidal, they also have a cost for public accounts, and that is the starting point of Vidal’s own criticism of the measure approved by the Government: the immediate relief for drivers comes from a lower tax revenue. The economic analyst argues that the direct benefit is not evenly distributed, as those who use the car and consume more fuel receive a larger discount in euros, while those who travel by public transport do not receive that discount when refilling. The discussion gains weight with the still high prices and an inflation that, according to the final data from the National Institute of Statistics, reached 4.9% year-on-year in September, while the tax reduction aims to contain the spending on gasoline and diesel with a savings that depends on the liters consumed by each household. The cost of the tax reduction. En octubre, Vidal expresó su objeción en una intervención en Herrera en COPE, diciendo «lo pagamos todos, conduzcamos o no», para señalar que una reducción de impuestos afecta a las cuentas públicas financiadas por todos los contribuyentes, independientemente de si todos reciben la misma ventaja directa. Este mecanismo está en el Real Decreto-ley 25/2026, que reduce temporalmente el Impuesto sobre Hidrocarburos aplicable a las gasolinas sin plomo y al gasóleo en 20 céntimos por litro durante octubre, de manera que el Estado paga un impuesto menor en lugar de entregar esa cantidad al conductor. Vidal lo expresó de otra forma, diciendo «aquí nadie regala nada», y planteó que quienes viajan en metro contribuyen a financiar el presupuesto público sin obtener el ahorro asociado a la compra de carburante, lo que ilustra su crítica al carácter general de la medida. La secuencia de descuentos previstos fueron 20 céntimos en octubre, 13 en noviembre y seis en diciembre, pero estaba sujeta a la evolución de los precios. La Agencia Tributaria confirmó el 20 de octubre que en noviembre se mantendrá la reducción de 20 céntimos por litro para gasolina sin plomo y gasóleo de uso general. Nadie sabe quién obtendrá más ahorro. The distribution of the benefit is the other part of the criticism because savings increase with fuel consumption: two drivers who refuel different amounts do not receive the same advantage in euros, even though they apply the same tax reduction per liter. Vidal linked this feature to the rent of households and argued that a linear aid favors those who buy more fuel, in absolute terms, a distribution that the Independent Fiscal Responsibility Authority had observed in its analyses of energy measures, detecting a greater concentration of the benefit of these reductions in high-income households. That conclusion does not mean that a family with lower income does not benefit when they need the car to work or move, but it points out a difference between individual savings when refueling and the total cost of the fiscal share: the rebate reaches all consumers of the product, without distinguishing their economic capacity or the need for the trip. The decree also maintains specific aid for sectors dependent on diesel, such as agricultural producers and certain transporters, and in the interview Vidal acknowledged the need to protect some activities, although he questioned whether the general rebate is described as a free discount when it means giving up public revenues.
