Cheap fuel ends as drivers rush stations and supplies run short

The last day of cheaper fuel sent drivers across Poland to filling stations, with long lines reported in Warsaw and Zakopane. The rush coincided with the end of the summer holiday season, as tourists prepared to leave the area around the Tatra Mountains.

On Monday, the temporary Ceny Paliwa Niżej, or “Fuel Prices Down,” package still limited prices to 6.64 zlotys per liter for Pb95 gasoline, 7.46 zlotys for Pb98 and 7.31 zlotys for diesel. It also used an 8% VAT rate instead of the standard rate.

By about 8 p.m., only small amounts of Pb98 gasoline and diesel remained at Orlen’s largest station in Zakopane’s Ustup district, according to an employee quoted by PAP. A BP station in Zakopane also ran out of fuel, while supplies were falling at other stations. LPG remained available.

The pressure on supplies reflected both the deadline for the discount and the departure of holidaymakers. A queue of cars formed outside a station on Warsaw’s Wał Miedzeszyński, while drivers sought to fill their tanks before prices returned to previous levels.

From Tuesday, Sept. 1, the 23% VAT rate will be restored, automatically increasing retail prices covered by the package. Market analysts forecast increases of 60 to 90 groszy per liter. The package, introduced again on Aug. 17 after an earlier period, also included maximum prices based on wholesale costs, taxes and a sales margin. The Finance Ministry puts its cost so far at about 4.7 billion zlotys, with the final two-week VAT reduction estimated to have cost the state 495 million zlotys.