Many Finns went to Sweden, where gasoline began to cost significantly less than in Finland.
"The fall in fuel prices in Sweden has increased traffic on the border between Tornio and Haparanda. Long queues at gas stations in Sweden have appeared since the weekend, when fuel became much cheaper than Finnish," Yle writes.
The publication gave an example that a gasoline tourist from Finland traveled 300 kilometers to Sweden to refuel — the price difference was 60 cents per liter.
"However, it is impossible to freely bring fuel to Finland as we would like. If it is in the fuel tank of the car, the duty is not taken. You can also import ten liters in a canister to Finland without tax. But it should be the same as in the tank," the publication explained.
Customs officer Jukka Riekki told Yle that the volume of traffic at the Tornio-Haparanda border crossing is huge, which complicates monitoring.
"We are conducting comprehensive surveillance, but we do not have the ability to intervene in all individual border crossings," said Jukka Riekki.
According to him, the customs has contacted the country's Tax Administration to find out what the consequences of transporting large quantities of fuel from Sweden to Finland will be.
According to Yle, the difference in fuel prices in the two countries is due to tax cuts in Sweden. In addition, the departure of Lukoil from the country has reduced competition among Finnish gas station operators.
"There are five to six distributors in Sweden all over the country, and after the closure of Teboil stations, we have four distribution chains," Hannah Kalenoya, chief transport specialist at the Finnish Chamber of Commerce, told the publication.