Irregular prices at the pump: six filling stations in the Varese area

The Guardia di Finanza carried out checks at twelve filling stations in the province of Varese. Irregularities were found at six of them.

The inspections covered the municipalities of Varese, Busto Arsizio, Barasso, Ternate, Gallarate and Vergiate. The units from Varese and Busto Arsizio took part, along with the Gallarate company.

The violations found are of several kinds. In some cases prices had not been reported to the relevant ministry. In others the displayed price did not match the price charged at the till.

Receipts and stock records

A second group of irregularities concerns tax documentation. Some operators failed to record and transmit receipts, while others did not keep proper records of fuel stocks.

The officers also found surpluses and shortfalls of diesel beyond the tolerance allowed by law. According to investigators, discrepancies of that size point to possible transactions outside official channels.

The overall tally covers several items. More than 2,200 euros of unpaid VAT were identified, along with 3,500 euros of undeclared revenue and over 1,200 euros of evaded excise duty. Administrative penalties come to 16,000 euros.

The Guardia di Finanza states that the purpose of the checks is «garantire la concorrenza tra imprese, la trasparenza del mercato e la tutela dei consumatori» (to guarantee competition between businesses, market transparency and consumer protection).

The province of Varese borders Ticino and is crossed by the roads leading to the border points in the Mendrisiotto and the Luganese. Several of the sites checked lie along those routes.

The position of the operators has yet to be settled by the competent authorities. The checks cover the current year, and it has not been said whether they will extend to other stations in the province.