The initiative “Political Syndicate“ has called on Serbian citizens not to fill up with fuel today and to boycott gas stations, the regional television “En1“ reported. The reason for the boycott is the fuel prices in Serbia, which are among the highest in the region, but also in Europe, the television indicates.
According to the coordinator of “Political Syndicate“ Aleksandar Maric, diesel at gas stations in Serbia costs 204-205 dinars (about 3.40 leva) per liter, while gasoline is about 20 dinars (about 30 stotinki) less. "This is one of the highest prices in the region, but also in all of Europe, Maric explained to "En1".
He emphasized that the price of fuel is mostly influenced by excise taxes, so "it is not the production cost of oil and oil products that is high, but the excise taxes themselves, which are practically state taxes and are the highest in Serbia compared to the region".
"We see from the examples in the former republics of Yugoslavia, that is, countries from our region, such as Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, that excise taxes are lower and fuel prices are lower. At the same time, their countries are functioning, so this attitude that reducing excise taxes will significantly affect the budget is not correct“, said Maric.
He said that in his opinion, now is the right time for many things in Serbian society to come to light and to start talking about them and solving them.
Maric thanked the Serbian students who have been protesting across the country for the fourth month, saying that they are bringing back faith and hope.
“Above all, they have brought back love and some beautiful feelings that we may have forgotten we have for each other. Unfortunately, we are in a country where protests and blockades seem to be the only way to build something and change things,“ he stressed.
Students in Serbia are protesting over the collapsed canopy of the Novi Sad train station, which killed 15 people and seriously injured two others who are still receiving treatment. The protesters accuse the government of corruption and nepotism, which led to poor-quality repairs to the station and the subsequent tragedy.
The boycott of gas stations comes after two boycotts of a number of store chains in Serbia over high prices on January 31 and February 10. Since the beginning of the year, boycotts of food chains, banks and mobile operators have also been held in a number of other countries in the region, such as Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Bulgaria.