Italy Considers Fuel Bonus as Diesel Prices Rise, Especially in the South
Fuel prices in Italy are still high. Petrol costs more than two euros a litre. Diesel costs about 2.13 euros a litre. These are numbers from the Italian Ministry (Mimit).
The government is thinking about a new bonus. This bonus could go into people's pay. It would help workers pay for fuel.
Diesel prices have gone up more in the south of Italy. This area is called the Mezzogiorno. People there are paying more for diesel than people in other parts of Italy.
Some people talk about a tax on oil companies' big profits. This is called an extra profits tax. But some experts say this tax can be bad. They call it a 'boomerang tax'. It can come back and hurt people.
Experts say Italy needs a different plan. They want more biofuels. Biofuels are fuels made from plants, not oil. Italy wants 5 million tonnes of biofuels by 2030.
Vocabulary15 words
- fuel
- petrol or diesel used for cars
- bonus
- extra money given to someone
- Mimit
- the Italian government ministry for business
- Mezzogiorno
- the southern part of Italy
- tax
- money people pay to the government
- extra profits tax
- a tax on money companies earn above normal
- boomerang tax
- a tax that causes a bad result instead of a good one
- biofuels
- fuel made from plants
- tonnes
- a big unit of weight
- diesel
- a type of fuel used in some cars and trucks
- petrol
- fuel used in most cars
- government
- the group that runs a country
- pay
- money a worker gets for their job
- profits
- money a company makes after costs
- workers
- people who have jobs
Quiz
Answer key
1. A fuel bonus in their pay 2. The Mezzogiorno (south) 3. True
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Fuel prices in Italy are still _____. Petrol costs more than two euros a litre. Diesel costs about 2.13 euros a _____. These are numbers from the Italian Ministry (Mimit).
The government is thinking about a new _____. This bonus could go into people's _____. It would help workers pay for fuel.
Diesel prices have gone up more in the south of Italy. This area is called the _____. People there are paying more for diesel than people in other parts of Italy.
Some people talk about a tax on oil companies' big _____. This is called an extra profits tax. But some experts say this tax can be bad. They call it a '_____ tax'.
Experts say Italy needs a different plan. They want more _____. Biofuels are fuel made from plants, not oil. Italy wants 5 million _____ of biofuels by 2030.