Serbia Extends Lower Fuel Excise Tax to September 27

Serbia’s government amended its decision on the temporary reduction of excise duties on petroleum derivatives on September 19, 2026. The deadline, which had been set to expire on September 20, was pushed back by seven days to September 27. The amendment was published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, issue No. 87/26, and took effect on the day it was published.

As published by the Official Gazette, the text of the amendment reads:

“The Government adopts a decision amending the Decision on the temporary reduction of excise duty amounts on petroleum derivatives under Article 9, paragraph 1, items 1, 2 and 3 of the Excise Law. In the Decision on the temporary reduction of excise duty amounts on petroleum derivatives under Article 9, paragraph 1, items 1, 2 and 3 of the Excise Law (Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia, No. 87/26), in item 2, the words ‘September 20, 2026’ are replaced with the words ‘September 27, 2026.’”

The measure covers the petroleum derivatives listed under that article of the Excise Law, in other words the fuel sold at pumps across Serbia. The amendment does not change the size of the reduction itself, only the date through which it applies.

How large is the reduction?

Sources disagree on the scale of the cut. The portal Srpski ugao reports a 25 percent reduction in excise duties and attributes that figure to the decision itself. The other three outlets, una.rs, Glas javnosti and Mondo, report only the extension of the deadline, without citing a percentage. The text of the amendment itself, published in the Official Gazette, does not include a figure either, only the date being moved from September 20 to September 27.

Srpski ugao further reports that the measure is a response to the crisis in the Persian Gulf, and that Finance Minister Sinisa Mali said the extension would not lead to a sharp rise in fuel prices in Serbia. None of the other three outlets mention either that connection or that statement.

The extension is attributed to pressure on world oil prices and the state’s willingness to give up part of its excise revenue to soften that pressure on the domestic market. Brent crude traded around $103 a barrel on September 19, its third consecutive weekly increase.

Srpske Novine has reported on fuel prices before, when diesel at domestic pumps reached 236 dinars and petrol 207 dinars per liter. The extended, lower excise rate is precisely what keeps that price lower than it would otherwise be, now through September 27, when the decision is set to expire again.