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French Government Urges TotalEnergies to Reduce Fuel Prices at Gas Stations

PARIS (Sputnik) - The French authorities are urging oil and gas giant TotalEnergies to reduce the price of car fuel sold at its gas stations to lower living costs for citizens and boost their purchasing power, French government spokesman Olivier Veran said on Tuesday.
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"There is additional help that could be provided by Total. We are asking them to take measures. It is up to them to decide. They have said they are thinking about it. We want there to be also, aside from the government tools that are helping boost the purchasing power of the French, mechanisms provided by fuel retailers," Veran told the France 2 broadcaster.
The spokesman stated that he did not have any details regarding potential measures by TotalEnergies and expressed hope that this would go into effect "as soon as possible."
On Monday, French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said that the government would extend its fuel allowance of 100 euro for 10 million households until the end of March. Households that earned no more than 14,700 euros for 2021 are eligible for the allowance.
Last fall, TotalEnergies reduced fuel prices by 20 euro cents ($0.22) per liter from September 1 to November 1 and by 10 euro cents more from November 1 to December 31 to avoid an excess profits tax. Last week, the company's CEO, Patrick Pouyanne, said that it was ready to sell fuel at reduced prices again if the price exceeded 2 euros per liter.
France's TotalEnergies is one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world. It is also the second largest supplier of liquefied natural gas to the global market. The company has about 100,000 employees in over 130 countries.
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