MEF reduces excise duty on diesel: 632.90 euros per thousand liters

The Ministry of Economy and Finance, in agreement with the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, has reduced the excise duty rate on gas oils or diesel used as fuel to 632.90 euros per thousand liters for the period from October 28 to November 7, 2026. The measure is contained in the decree of October 27, 2026, regarding the “Temporary redetermination of the excise duty rate” (26A05715), published in the Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series no. 250 of October 27, 2026. The stated objective of the provision is to offset the higher value-added tax revenues compared to the last forecast, resulting from the increase in the international price of crude oil expressed in euros.

The text intervenes under the heading “Reduction of the excise duty rate on diesel used as fuel” and operates within the perimeter outlined by Art. 1, paragraph 290, of Law no. 244 of December 24, 2007, which allows for the reduction of excise duty rates on energy products used as fuels or heating fuels via ministerial decree, in order to offset higher VAT revenues due to variations in the price of crude oil. The ordinary rate referred to is that of Annex I to the consolidated text approved by Legislative Decree no. 504 of October 26, 1995, whose energy products are subject to excise duty pursuant to Art. 21 of the same consolidated text.

Activation conditions and timing

The decree acknowledges that, “with reference to the period from September 1 to September 30, 2026,” the conditions provided for by Art. 1, paragraph 291, of Law no. 244 of 2007 have occurred—specifically those that make the adoption of the reduction measure possible. The application window is therefore fixed by law within a short and defined timeframe.

• Effective date of the reduced rate: October 28, 2026.
• Application deadline: November 7, 2026.
• Total duration: eleven days.
• Scope: gas oils or diesel used as fuel.

Financial coverage and signatories

Art. 2 settles the account: the lower revenues resulting from Art. 1 are covered, also pursuant to Art. 1, paragraph 290, of Law no. 244 of 2007, with a share equal to 38.7 million euros of the higher revenue achieved in the period from September 1 to September 30, 2026, in relation to the periodic payments of value-added tax. The provision bears the signature of the Minister of Economy and Finance, Giancarlo Giorgetti, and the Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, and was registered by the Court of Auditors on October 27, 2026, Control Office for the acts of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, under register no. 1362.

In unit terms, 632.90 euros per thousand liters correspond to just over 63 cents of excise duty per liter of diesel: this is the item on which the decree produces an immediate effect, prior to the VAT applied to the finished product.

The August precedent and the temporary nature of the intervention

This is not the first adjustment of the year. The Official Gazette no. 180 of August 5, 2026, had already published an intervention regarding the excise duty on diesel used as fuel and for road transport, which redetermined the rate for the period from August 7 to 24, 2026, at 532.90 euros per thousand liters, extending the same value to paraffinic diesels obtained by synthesis or hydrotreatment (HVO) and to biodiesel released for consumption as fuels. The decree now in force does not repeat that extension and is limited to gas oils or diesel used as fuel.

The very structure of the instrument — a ministerial decree registered with the Court of Auditors, validity limited to eleven days, funding linked to the VAT revenue of a single month — confirms that this is a cyclical adjustment and not a stable revision of energy taxation.

For motorists and road hauliers, the effect is immediate but brief: the reduction is reflected in the tax component of the pump price for the entire indicated period, until November 7, 2026, after which the rate will return to be determined according to the ordinary values of Annex I to the consolidated text. For supply chain operators, the eleven-day window makes the timely adjustment of applied prices and communications to the Customs and Monopolies Agency, responsible for the application of excise duties, decisive.

Source: Official Gazette of the Italian Republic, General Series no. 250 of October 27, 2026 — decree of October 27, 2026, “Temporary redetermination of the excise duty rate” (26A05715), p. 7.