Difficult situation in the branch after partial taxation
Berlin, 30th January 2007 – The Arbeitsgemeinschaft Qualitätsmanagement Biodiesel e. V. (AGQM) today released the current data on the sales of biodiesel at public filling stations. According to this, the volume of biodiesel sold at filling stations in the year 2006 has fallen in comparison with the previous year by 44,000 tonnes to 476,000 tonnes. This is due mainly to the effects of the partial taxation levied since August 2006.
Despite the generally critical situation, filling stations in North Rhine Westphalia and Lower Saxony were able to increase the sales of biodiesel against the previous year by 183 million litres (161,552 tonnes) and 132 million litres (116,230 tonnes) respectively. In contrast, substantial sales losses were incurred in nearly all other federal states. North Rhine Westphalia and Lower Saxony have a biodiesel filling station structure which is characterised very strongly by utility vehicles. At these stations, the sales losses in the last four months of the year were not as high at 15 % as at the filling stations frequented by cars, which lost 47 % of their biodiesel sales. At HGV filling stations, the very good course of the first half-year more than compensated the poor results later.
However, the statistical results indicate a further danger: biodiesel filling stations in North Rhine Westphalia have an average throughput of over 500,000 litres p.a., whereas in Saxony, only 57,000 litres p.a. were achieved. Due to the economic circumstances, it can be anticipated that filling stations with very low throughput volumes will stop sales of biodiesel, so that the previously good coverage with biodiesel is acutely endangered. This further reduces the attractiveness of biodiesel fuel for the user and will lead to further reductions in sales.
With the changed general situation, a sales network for a biofuel systematically established over many years and equipped in many fields with a reliable quality assurance system will be ruined in a short time. The political objective of reducing dependency on mineral oil step by step by the use of biofuels will thereby not be achieved. The AGQM places responsibility on politicians to re-examine the resolved tax decisions and to concentrate on finding a solution with future viability.