Treasury sets the variable component of the fuel tax starting in October

The Ministry of Finance determined the variable components of the specific fuel tax that will be in effect from Thursday, October 1, 2026, through exempt decree No. 272, dated September 29, 2026. The regulation was published in the Official Gazette No. 44,562, on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, in Section I (General Regulations), with the official reference CVE 2880246. The adjustment reduces the variable component for gasolines and diesel compared to the previous week and leaves diesel fuel with a negative resulting specific tax.

The decree is issued within the framework of Law No. 18,502, which establishes fuel taxes, and Law No. 20,765, which creates the Fuel Price Stabilization Mechanism (MEPCO), extended by Law No. 20,794. The variable component may be added to or subtracted from the base component as provided in Article 3 of Law No. 20,765 and in Article 8 of its regulation, approved by supreme decree No. 1,119, of 2014, from the Ministry of Finance.

The administrative act was signed by order of the President of the Republic by the Minister of Finance, Jorge Antonio Quiroz Castro, and is based on ordinary letters No. 920 and No. 921, both dated September 29, 2026, from the National Energy Commission, as well as supreme decree No. 38, of 2026, from the Ministry of the Interior, exempt decree No. 103, of March 20, 2026, and resolution No. 36, of 2024, from the Comptroller General of the Republic.

The values that will be in effect from October 1

The decree sets the following variable components, expressed in UTM per cubic meter:

• 93 octane automotive gasoline: -4.1475 UTM/m³.
• 97 octane automotive gasoline: -4.8380 UTM/m³.
• Diesel fuel: -4.3008 UTM/m³.
• Liquefied petroleum gas for vehicular consumption: -0.1921 UTM/m³.
• Compressed natural gas for vehicular consumption: -0.2919 UTM/1000 m³.

Based on those components, the text determines the resulting specific tax rates for the week beginning Thursday, October 1, 2026:

• 93 octane gasoline: base component 6.0000 and resulting tax 1.8525 UTM/m³.
• 97 octane gasoline: base component 6.0000 and resulting tax 1.1620 UTM/m³.
• Diesel fuel: base component 1.5000 and resulting tax -2.8008 UTM/m³.
• Vehicular liquefied petroleum gas: base component 1.4000 and resulting tax 1.2079 UTM/m³.
• Vehicular compressed natural gas: base component 1.9300 and resulting tax 1.6381 UTM/1000 m³.

Diesel, with negative specific tax

Diesel fuel is the only fuel in the table whose resulting specific tax falls below zero: -2.8008 UTM/m³, compared to a base component of 1.5000. The variable component of -4.3008 UTM/m³ exceeds the base component in magnitude and, according to Article 3 of Law No. 20,765, may be subtracted from the latter.

The decree also orders the publication of a technical report on the institutional website of the Ministry of Finance regarding the decreed measures, in accordance with Article 5 of Law No. 20,765.

Comparison with the previous week

Regarding the week starting Thursday, September 24, established by exempt decree No. 267, dated September 22, 2026, published in the Official Gazette No. 44,556 on September 23, 2026, the variable components are moderated for gasolines and diesel:

• 93 octane gasoline: changes from -4.3259 to -4.1475 UTM/m³.
• 97 octane gasoline: changes from -4.9425 to -4.8380 UTM/m³.
• Diesel fuel: changes from -5.9345 to -4.3008 UTM/m³.
• Vehicular liquefied petroleum gas: changes from 0.0004 to -0.1921 UTM/m³.
• Vehicular compressed natural gas: changes from 0.0006 to -0.2919 UTM/1000 m³.

In the same edition of the Official Gazette, the Ministry of Energy established, through exempt decree No. 235 (official reference CVE 2880498), the reference prices for petroleum-derived fuels effective from October 1, 2026, with lower, intermediate, and upper ranges in pesos per cubic meter: 93 octane gasoline between 645,427.1 and 713,366.8; 97 octane gasoline between 703,158.0 and 777,174.7; diesel fuel between 951,731.0 and 1,051,913.2; and vehicular liquefied petroleum gas between 361,610.8 and 399,675.1. This act was signed by the Minister of Energy, Ximena Rincón González.

Impact for consumers

The variable component is the factor that the Executive adjusts every week to cushion international variations in crude oil prices and the exchange rate, so its value directly affects the final price of gasolines and diesel paid by consumers. The drop in the variable component of diesel means that the specific tax ceases to add to the tax burden and operates as a negative component in price determination, while for gasolines, the resulting tax remains positive but lower than the previous week. The publication of the technical report on the Ministry of Finance website allows for the verification of the calculation week by week.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,562, Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Section I (General Norms), pp. 1-2 (official reference: CVE 2880246).