BERLIN, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Germany's inflation rate was confirmed at 3.3 percent in September, its highest level in nearly three years, as surging energy prices continued to push up consumer costs, final data from the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) showed Tuesday.
The reading, unchanged from a preliminary estimate released late last month, marked a further increase from 2.9 percent in August and 2.8 percent in July.
Energy prices jumped 14.9 percent year-on-year in September, accelerating from a 10.5-percent rise in August and marking their sharpest increase since February 2023, according to Destatis. Fuel prices surged 37.1 percent, while heating oil prices soared 74.9 percent.
"Once again, the development of energy prices was responsible for the increase in the inflation rate," said Ruth Brand, president of Destatis, noting that the sharpest increases were seen in fuel and heating oil prices.
To ease the pressure from soaring fuel prices, the German government introduced a fresh round of temporary fuel tax cuts on Oct. 1, aimed at reducing petrol and diesel prices by around 17 euro cents (0.19 U.S. dollars) per liter through the end of the year. The measure is expected to provide around 2.5 billion euros (2.8 billion U.S. dollars) in tax relief.
The latest move followed a similar tax cut in May and June, introduced after the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East sent fuel prices soaring and intensified inflationary pressures in Europe's largest economy.
However, a recent analysis by the Munich-based ifo Institute found that the new tax relief had only been partially passed on to consumers. During the first five days of October, filling stations passed on an average of 15 cents per liter for diesel, compared with the 17-cent tax cut, according to the institute.
The institute also cautioned that the benefits of the tax cut were unevenly distributed, offering limited relief to low-income households and those who drive less, even as these groups continued to face high energy costs. ■