Transport companies are yet to receive half of the extra excise on gasoline imposed in the beginning of April, as the restitution mechanism is not functional, according to Capital.ro.

The procedure to return four eurocents out of the seven eurocents per liter of gasoline was approved half a year ago, but it is not yet functional.

Romania wants to pay back these amounts as a state aid, but because of the delays, transport companies have already started to buy gasoline from other countries.

They equip their cars with larger tanks to buy enough fuel from abroad and avoid the excises, according to Capital.ro. Companies from counties close to the border prefer to buy fuel from Hungary or Bulgaria, while trucks which cross Romania no longer stop to recharge. Transporters believe the beaurocracy behind delays is in fact the state’s unwillingness to pay back the extra excise.

editor@romania-insider.com