Italians will head for Switzerland to fill up with petrol.

The obligatory buffer to travel to Italy is not only causing economic damage to commercial operators just across the border, but also Swiss distributors. In other words: no spending habits for the people of Ticino, no fuel for the Italians. And the reason? Fuel prices in Italy have skyrocketed, hitting a record high of over 1.6 euros per liter (ranging from 1.62 to 1.66). For residents of the Varesotto and Comasco areas, the obvious choice would be to fill up in Ticino, where prices per liter are around 1.5 francs (around 1.4 euros). Many Italian motorists, who could save as much as 8.80 euros on a 40-liter fill-up, would hesitate to do so because of the negative test result they would have to obtain once back home. La Prealpina» dealt with this subject today, interviewing Massimo Sassi, associate of Faib Varese (Federazione autonoma italiana benzinai) and manager of the station in Largo IV Novembre in Varese, who believes that there is every reason to reactivate the Gasoline Discount Card, which was suspended last March 1. Mr. Sassi says that «there would be the margin to reinstate the discount of 16 cents». A provision that should be introduced as soon as possible because «today the borders are still partially ‘closed’ and therefore most people continue to fill up in Italy because they are obliged to do so. However, as soon as they reopen, I’m afraid that everyone will flock to Switzerland and then, to get them used to the discount card, if it is restored, it will take time». In other words, if the borders were to be cleared before the Discount Card was introduced, distributors in the border provinces could lose a lot of money, while those in Ticino could make more than expected.