The Ministry of Finances has announced the final details of the heating oil benefit. Compared to last year, the Ministry has tried to make the benefit available to a greater number of people.
Income criteria
- Singles with income up to 30,000 euros (from 25,000 last year)
- Married couples with combined income of up to 40,000 euros (from 35,000 last year) and an additional 3,000 euros for each child
- Single-parent family with income up to 43,000 (for one child) and 3,000 euros and an additional 3,000 euros
Asset criteria
- Singles with property valued of up to 200,000 euros (from 150,000 last year)
- Married couples with property valued up to 300,000 euros (from 200,000 last year)
- Owners of vehicles with engines up to 3-liters (from 2-liter engines last year)
The Ministry has also established location criteria, with residents from areas in the North of Greece being able to purchase greater quantities of heating oil than those in warmer areas. The Ministry also increased the government subsidy from 28 cents per liter to 35 cents per liter and has decided to make 25% of the heating oil benefit instantly available. With the price of heating oil estimated to be between 1.25 and 1.30 euros per liter, the beneficiaries will pay under one euro per liter.
Fuel station owners however note that very few people have should any interest in purchasing any heating oil this year, since the prices are considered extortionate. This is due to the dramatic increase of the special consumption tax that was imposed last year on heating oil (from 60 euros to 330 euros per kiloliter), which was meant to tackle fuel smuggling by closing the gap with the price of diesel.
The dramatic price increase resulted in a 70% drop of consumption, with many households turning to other, more cost-effective types of heating, such as natural gas and wood. The significant drop resulted in the public revenue from heating oil to fall short of expectations.
Further details and the application form for the heating oil benefit are available at www.gsis.gr.
