Alarm on the price of diesel. The hypothesis of realigning excise duties with those of petrol is gaining ground. The consequences? A blow of 3.1 billion euros per year, an annual impact estimated at 162.50 euros for those who refuel twice a month.
The measure, the realignment of excise duties between diesel and petrol, emerged in the 2025-2029 Structural Budget Plan presented by the Ministry of Economy and Finance in Parliament, to reduce environmentally harmful subsidies, as envisaged by the Pnrr. An intervention that would translate into a significant impact on fuel costs and therefore directly and indirectly on citizens’ pockets.
Today, taxes on diesel account for 56.1% of the final price at the pump, while taxes on petrol account for 60%. Currently, the excise duty on diesel is 0.617 euros per litre, while that on petrol stands at 0.728 euros/litre. If the government decided to align the two rates, the excise duty on diesel would rise to 0.728 euros, resulting in an increase of around 14 cents per litre. This would translate into an increase of over 5 euros for each 50-litre tank, with an annual impact estimated at 162.50 euros for those who fill up twice a month. Assoutenti speaks of a possible 3.1 billion euro sting.
The intervention would be part of the government’s strategy to encourage the ecological transition, reducing subsidies for fossil fuels and redistributing resources towards green bonuses and incentives for sustainable mobility. The Structural Budget Plan envisages savings of 2 billion euros by 2025, thanks to the reduction of environmentally harmful subsidies. And, if the value of the excise duty on diesel was equal to that of petrol, the State could collect around 3.4 billion euros a year.
Diesel is still widely used, both by private individuals and hauliers, and in 2023 the consumption of this fuel reached 28 billion liters. An increase in excise duties could therefore also hit the logistics sector hard, with an estimated increase in operating costs of 10-15%, costs that would be passed on to final consumers. This mechanism could have a ripple effect on the entire economy, further increasing the prices of basic goods.
On the one hand, it is therefore necessary to support sustainable mobility and accelerate the energy transition, but on the other hand, however, a too sudden increase in fuel costs could hinder the economic recovery and hit families and businesses hard.
