Malaga pays the most for fuel

FUEL in Malaga province is more expensive than in the rest Spain, and the local Consumer Union blames the companies which hold a “monopoly” over the stations but set different prices.

According to data from the Ministry of Industry for December, prices have remained consistently high throughout 2011 and appear set to follow the same trend this year.

In Malaga, a litre of diesel is priced at an average of €1.31, while unleaded petrol is €130.7, almost €0.015 more than the national average and €0.04 more than in Huesca or Navarra where the lowest prices are found.

Prices in the rest of Andalucia and Extremadura are the highest in Spain, and residents have to pay 25 per cent more than in the north of Spain, which especially affects taxi and lorry drivers.

Jesus Burgos, the president of the Malaga Consumer Union (UCO) says there are several theories on why the prices are so high, but that the most obvious seems to be that just a few petrol companies own 70 per cent of the filling stations in the province, but charge different prices depending on the location of the station.

“They take advantage of the fact that a lot of people travel through the province and it is a tourist area. It can’t be a coincidence that prices rise even more on July 1” he said.

Meanwhile, the President of the Andalucian Group of Fuel Retailers, Alvaro Fontes, said “we are aware of the problem, but we don’t set the prices. This affects us more than anybody and we are told it’s because of the cost of bringing the fuel to this area of Spain.

We can’t understand this and it’s not fair, the companies should charge the same wherever the filling station is in Spain”.

To compare prices of fuel throughout Malaga and the rest of Spain, visit http://geoportal.mityc.es/hidrocarburos/eess/

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