A survey by the Ministry of Finance on subsidies to reduce the burden on gasoline prices, etc., found that more than 20% of gas stations did not reflect part of the subsidies in suppressing selling prices.
The Ministry of Finance has pointed out to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry that the purpose of the subsidies should be thoroughly communicated to business operators.
Every year, the Ministry of Finance conducts a "budget execution survey" to verify whether the national budget is being used appropriately.
On the 7th, the results of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's project to provide subsidies to petroleum wholesalers and others in order to suppress price increases such as gasoline were announced.
In the survey, businesses such as gas stations were asked to what extent gasoline prices were being held down by subsidies, and 155 businesses responded.
According to the results,
45% answered that subsidies have been fully suppressed, while
23% answered that they were not fully suppressed, and
31% answered that they were unsure.
As a reason for the insufficient pass-through to sales prices, a notable response was that "we decided by looking at the surrounding market conditions," such as prices at nearby gas stations.
Furthermore, when the Ministry of Finance calculated based on the sales performance of gasoline from March to July this year, the total amount actually suppressed was 11 billion yen less than the subsidy payment.
The Ministry of Finance points out that the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, which has jurisdiction over the subsidies, should be thoroughly informed of the purpose of the subsidies and should be encouraged to reflect the full amount in price restraints.