Gasoline became cheaper in February in Belo Horizonte, as the average fuel price in the capital fell 1.25% compared to January 17.
The average price per liter of fuel went from R$ 4.721 to R$ 4.662 during the period. The figures are from a survey by the Mercado Mineiro website.
The coordinator of the Mercado Mineiro website, Feliciano Abreu, now states that the drop in the price of gasoline was expected, as there was a reduction passed on.
Drop in Prices
Since “The decline was passed on over time. I don’t know if it arrived in its entirety as it should have. But it is within the context”, he argues.
Abreu points out that the discussion about charging ICMS on fuels, which involved President Jair Bolsonaro and the governors this month, may have contributed.
“This issue of how much the tax burden on fuels weighs has come to light, as well as having influenced both the reduction in consumption and the reduction in price.”
On the other hand, Abreu believes that the oil workers' strike – which is in its 17th day – has not affected fuel pricing in Greater BH.
However, the coordinator of the Mercado Mineiro website states that if the strike had affected the situation, the survey would have found an increase in prices, not a drop.
Price Variations
Firstly, the research also recorded that the average price of gasoline in the East Region of BH is the lowest: R$ 4.58 in southeast.
Subsequently, the most expensive liter of gasoline was found in the Central-South Region, for R$ 4.75 on average.
The price variation between the stations in the capital that participated in the survey was 13.39%.
Except that Mercado Mineiro concluded that drivers in Belo Horizonte can choose between fuels, without much difference.
This is because the average price of a liter of alcohol – R$ 3.269 – reached 70%, which serves as a reference for comparison with the average price of gasoline – R$ 4.662.
In short, the drop is explained by a reduction promoted by Petrobras. Among the stations surveyed, the price varied between R$ 3.67 and R$ 4.299, a variation of 17%.