In the first five months of the year, from 1,320 targeted interventions on the price of fuel dispensers for motorists, the Guardia di Finanza found 690 violations. In practice, just over one offense for every two checks (52.3%). These are violations that concern both the mandatory communication to the Ministry of Economic Development of the cost at the petrol pump and compliance with the obligations of communication and display of prices. There are not a few cases in which the Fiamme Gialle have detected fraud, anti-competitive maneuvers or even unfair commercial practices.
Speculative maneuvers in the viewfinder
This is the first balance sheet of the extraordinary action plan that the Government implemented in the first months of the year to tackle the expensive gasoline. A plan in which the Guardia di Finanza is the operational arm to intervene across the board in support of the judicial activity and in synergy with the Antitrust, the Regulatory Authority for energy, networks and environments (Arera) and “Mr Prices” ie the Guarantor at the Ministry of Economic Development (Mise).
The target is above all speculative maneuvers to the detriment of consumers, but also tax fraud in the energy products sector which creates dumping with respect to honest operators.
Taxes evaded and fuel seized
The reconstructions carried out by the Fiamme Gialle revealed the consumption of 177 thousand tons of energy products subject to fraud. Furthermore, from the 850 fiscal checks carried out, an evaded tax of 230 million was identified and over 630 tons of fuel were seized. And it is no coincidence, because to combat violations, a screening activity has been launched for the entire supply chain through a control room at the General Command. Over a year and a half, 1,500 companies and other suspicious legal entities were analyzed.
Behind it there is a working method that has strengthened over time. In the first place – as pointed out by the General Command – we start with a detailed selection of the objectives, which are then deepened. To this are added investigative tools that have become increasingly penetrating. The method developed is therefore based on risk analyzes, which have been implemented thanks to the activity of the special teams and the intersection of information in the now many databases available.