Stay pump savvy to wipe €100 off petrol
The average motorist could save more than €100 a year by shopping around for petrol. Prices were found to vary by 9c per litre in a new study by the State’s consumer watchdog. This works out at €108 a year.
Generally, stations near airports and the start of motorways are dearest. I have found fuel cheaper in a few stations on the outskirts of Dublin city – notably Top on Amiens Street and Emo in Mount Brown Kilmainham (180.9c for petrol on November 22). And it’s up to us drivers to make sure they get rewarded for offering cheaper fuel by paying attention to prices at the pumps. According to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, we are doing just that. ‘Consumers shopped around’ and were able to do so thanks to compliance with ‘price display regulations’.
It’s also good to know that petrol stations are not engaged in collusion or price gauging, according to the study. The CCPC found that ‘higher prices in the preexcise cut period were due to ‘increased international prices’. Fuel pricing here was found to have normal pricing ‘spreads’ in line with other countries.
BARGAIN… PLUS VAT
That ‘special offer’ you spot online when shopping for pressies might not be that cheap after all.
A Christmas jumper bought from a non-EU country for €20 could end up costing nearly a third more after VAT and admin fees apply, Revenue has warned.
Anything over €150 will also accrue Customs Duty. ‘For example, if you buy a coat from the UK, costing €250, assuming an administration fee of €12, you will pay an additional €97.16 in combined Customs Duty and VAT, adding more than €100 to the original purchase price,’ says
Revenue’s Maureen Dalton.
Goods purchased from the UK (excluding Northern Ireland) are subject to VAT and other charges since it is not a member of the EU.
LITTLE SCAMS ADD UP
Older people are sometimes mocked by youngsters for lack of online savvy… but the under-45s are more likely to be victims of digital financial fraud, a new study finds.
Regardless of age, financial scams are rampant. Three quarters of us (75%) have experienced an attempted financial fraud and more than a quarter (27%) have been victims, the Permanent TSB study found.
And don’t assume scammers are focused on large sums – the smaller scams are their ‘bread and butter’, with only 10% of incidents involving amounts greater than €5,000. The most common types of financial fraud are ‘vishing’ (phone call/voice message), ‘smishing’ (text) and ‘phishing’ (email). Other common scams relate to lottery wins, inheritance, investment and ‘romance fraud’, according to the study.