Diesel Rises to 229 Dinars as Fuel Prices Shift in Serbia
New fuel prices took effect August 14 at 3 p.m.: diesel rose two dinars to 229, gasoline fell by the same amount to 200. The 20 percent excise cut on fuel expires Sunday, August 16.
As of Friday, August 14 at 3 p.m., a liter of Eurodiesel at Serbian gas stations costs at most 229 dinars, and a liter of premium unleaded gasoline (BMB) 200 dinars. The new prices hold until Friday, August 21 at 3 p.m., when the next weekly decision takes effect.
The previous week, Eurodiesel cost 227 dinars a liter and gasoline 202 dinars. Diesel rose two dinars while gasoline fell by exactly the same amount, so a single decision moved the two fuels in opposite directions. These are maximum allowed prices, not a fixed rate that every station is required to charge.
Fuel prices in Serbia are recalculated weekly and change every Friday at 3 p.m. A driver filling a 50 liter tank with diesel this weekend pays a hundred dinars more than a week ago, while the same tank of gasoline costs a hundred dinars less.
How much is the reduced excise tax
The government of the Republic of Serbia has extended the temporary 20 percent cut in excise duties on petroleum derivatives until August 16. The previous decree was due to expire on August 9, so the deadline was pushed back by seven days. The stated reason is the rise in producer prices of derivatives driven by higher crude oil prices on world markets.
The temporary excise amounts per liter are:
- leaded gasoline: 61.24 dinars
- unleaded gasoline: 57.60 dinars
- gas oils, meaning diesel: 59.23 dinars
The effect is measurable at the pump. The 59.23 dinar excise on diesel accounts for about 26 percent of the maximum allowed price per liter, while the 57.60 dinar excise on gasoline accounts for about 29 percent of its maximum price. Excise tax, in other words, is the line item that sits right behind the cost of the fuel itself.
The gap between the two fuels has widened with this decision. Last week a liter of diesel cost 25 dinars more than a liter of gasoline; this week the gap is 29 dinars. For diesel powered fleets, that gap is the only figure that changes in the calculation, since tanks are filled on the same schedule regardless of when the excise decree expires.
What happens after August 16?
The decree on reduced excise duties expires on a Sunday, while the fuel price decision that took effect on Friday holds until August 21. The two deadlines no longer line up: prices are fixed through the end of the work week, while the tax regime used to calculate them lapses before that. What comes after August 16 has not been announced.
The measure keeps getting extended in short increments. The previous decree was due to expire on August 9, the current one got a seven day extension, so a new decision will need to arrive on the same rhythm if the cut is to stay in force. The reason given is the same both times: higher producer prices for derivatives tied to rising crude oil prices on world markets.
Every dinar of reduced excise is also revenue the state budget does not collect, which is part of why the extensions come in seven day windows, a way of keeping the cost of the measure under control. For an individual driver or a haulier, two dinars a liter is pocket change at a single fill up but a real line item over a month: a truck burning 3,000 liters of diesel a month pays 6,000 dinars more under this price change.
The next update arrives Friday, August 21 at 3 p.m.
