Our government’s plan to clamp down on tax evasion by equalizing the levies on heating oil and automotive diesel has come up against numerous obstacles, some of which however are only pretexts.

Instead of spending time on complex tax rebates, the Economy and Finance Ministry could stop the theft of public money with one move. Instead of the tax being returned on the basis of consumption, it could be returned in accordance with objective criteria in the form of a tax exemption calculated on household income and residential area (greater tax cuts in northern regions). The billions to be gained from tax evasion will likely undermine any consumption-based tax rebate system.

The government must be bold and imaginative. It must return money to consumers without the interference of middlemen who are the root of the problem.