WASHINGTON (AP) — Visa Inc. yesterday said it will reduce the transaction fees it charges gasoline retailers, who have complained that their profits are being eroded by them.

The fees are a fixed percentage of every transaction, usually just under two percent. So each time gasoline prices go up, so does the dollar amount of the fees, eating away at per-gallon profit margins.

The credit-card company said its move will lower fees by 14 percent on a $60 fill-up, and by 43 percent on a $120 gasoline sale. Visa also said it would cap its fee for debit-card purchases at 95 cents. MasterCard last year capped interchange fees for gas purchases of $50 or more.

Congress has stepped up its scrutiny of the industry's "interchange fees" in recent months. Legislation in the House would require Visa and MasterCard to negotiate the fees directly with merchants, and if an agreement couldn't be reached the rates would be set by a three-judge panel.

Visa's fee reductions will initially benefit the bottom lines of gas stations, whether they are independently owned or controlled by major oil companies.

Bill Sheedy, global head of strategy for Visa, said in a written statement that "we hope to see oil companies pass these savings along to their stations and ultimately to consumers."

Roger Randolph, the manager of Mr. Ed's Chevron in St. Albans, West Virginia, gained attention last week by banning the use of credit cards at his gas station, because interchange fees were erasing his profits.