The federation of fuel company vendors on Thursday vigorously came out in favour of installing cash registers in petrol stations, a long-standing demand by repeated governments that has always generated opposition by the gas station owners' associations.

The federation said a system to monitor the intake and outtake of fuels in stations should be installed in a second phase.

"Implementation of the measure to install cash registers is absolutely necessary and will mark the inauguration of a system to monitor the movement of fuels in stations, one that cannot be linked with any other pre-conditions ... and something that exists in every other member-state of the European Union and all other professional sectors," a federation press release stated, adding that any other reason cited is merely a diversionary tactic aimed at delaying or preventing the measure.