The price for a barrel of crude oil is the same as it was in October 2021, when a litre of diesel cost us 1.35 euros. But now, despite the same price of oil on world markets, the price for the consumers in Slovenia is almost a quarter higher. The current price of diesel is 1.676 euros, which is 0.326 euros or 24.1 percent higher than it was in October 2021.
The mainstream media, which are very sympathetic to the current government of Robert Golob, tell us that the price of a litre of diesel will be lower by a good cent (the price will lower to 1.66 euros) starting midnight. The price of a litre of 95-octane petrol and diesel are being reset every second Tuesday from the 21st of June onwards, with the change scheduled for midnight on Wednesday due to the public holiday on Monday, the 15th of August, reports the web portal “Moja Dolenjska.”
As of the 17th of August, the lower margins for retailers will no longer apply, and the Golob government is bringing back the environmental taxes. After Wednesday, fuel prices are expected to go down slightly, but much less than they could have. In reality, with current oil prices, fuel prices could be much lower, by at least a third of a euro, and could be at around 1.35 euros per litre of diesel.
This is the difference between the “terror” of the government of Janez Janša and Robert Golob’s (price) freedom. Bank in February, a barrel of crude oil cost almost 130 euros. According to the Slovenian Press Agency, a barrel of North Sea Brent crude oil for delivery in October cost 88.61 dollars in the early hours of Tuesday morning, which is 0.80 euros less than on Monday.
The government only sympathises with money
West Texas light crude oil, which will be delivered in September, also depreciated by 1.11 dollars, reaching the price of 93.99 dollars. The imposition of government taxes is not the least bit surprising. Remember, Golob is actually behaving like an oligarch who does not care about the little man: “I mean, this is my personal experience, and this is my personal opinion: we really do not need lower taxes.”
“I honestly do not see what I would gain from lower taxes, except that I would have even more money in my bank account and maybe spend it on more stupid things.” Perhaps Golob really does not know what he could do with even more money, but we are sure that those who live on minimum wage know very well what they could spend the money on. The current government embodies a misguided, outdated socialistic logic that reduces purchasing power and impoverishes citizens. At the same time, it is harming the country in other ways, such as by driving away foreign investors.
Let us also remind you that according to data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Slovenian worker is among the most highly taxed in the world, but Golob does not care about this. In reality, he is a member of the hard transitional elite, born with a golden spoon in his mouth (his father was the director of the Soča power plants), who gives the false impression of being humane, philanthropic, and so on. But remember that he illegally earned 45 thousand euros a month in the state-owned energy company Gen-I. Can we really expect him to be compassionate?
Domen Mezeg
