A study of petrol prices found that, on average, service stations with "brands" such as BP, Mobil, Shell and Caltex, charge up to 1c a litre more for fuel.
This could cost the average motorist almost $20 a year.
Researchers at the University of Queensland and Queensland University of Technology say this premium reduced slightly if petrol stations were tied to supermarkets Coles and Woolworths and ran shopping docket schemes.
Those stations still had slightly higher "regular" prices than independent retailers but if motorists used shopping dockets, which typically save 4c a litre, they would get the cheapest fuel.
Researcher Stuart McDonald said franchise costs appeared to have a big impact on fuel prices for branded petrol stations.
The revelation came as Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims told a petrol industry conference an investigation into price-sharing and shopping dockets was still underway.
Mr Sims said it would take time to work out if consumer laws were being broken.
"We are examining the longer term competition implications of the large shopper docket discounts provided between the fuel and supermarket sectors, in particular," Mr Sim said.
He told the Australasian Convenience and Petroleum Marketers Association that the ACCC "has not yet formed a view whether or not breaches of the Act are occurring".
"As you would understand, assessments of this nature are complex and generally involve extensive evidence gathering followed by much legal and economic analysis," he said.
heraldsun.com.au 13 Sep 2012
The consumer watchdog, has already indicated that there is fraud committed by the supermarket petrol chains with their fuel discount vouchers, but as always there is no implementation of any laws.
The legal profession is bought by the corporate giants to have it be immune from any so called consumer laws.
The fraud has and will continue.
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