April regulation of petrol and diesel prices and reduction of excise duty on diesel
The government has approved two measures aimed at mitigating rising fuel prices, effective from 8 April to 30 April 2026. During this period, petrol and diesel prices will be subject to regulation through maximum retail prices announced on a day by day basis. In addition, excise duty on diesel will be reduced by CZK 2.35 per litre (including VAT).
Price regulation of petrol and diesel
Price regulation will apply to petrol and diesel sold at public filling stations. If a station sells petrol and diesel without special additives, the regulation will only affect the price of petrol and diesel for these fuels regardless of whether they also sell petrol and diesel with special additives. If they sell petrol and diesel only with special additives, the regulation will apply to the cheapest petrol and diesel sold at that petrol station.
The regulation sets maximum prices for petrol or diesel as the sum of:
- the arithmetic average of the wholesale prices for four regularly published price indices (ČEPRO, MOL, PKN ORLEN, plus costs associated with import and storage: the Platts Barges FOB Rotterdam High index for petrol and the Platts CIF NWE High index for diesel),
- a maximum margin of CZK 2.50 per litre and
- 21% VAT applicable to the two preceding items.
On working days, the Ministry of Finance will publish the maximum fuel prices for the following day in the Price Bulletin and on its website. Prices will not be published on non-working days. On days following a non-working day, the last price published on the previous working day shall apply. For example, the price published on Tuesday shall apply to Wednesday, and the price published on Friday shall apply to Saturday, as well as to Sunday and Monday.
The price decree governing the regulation will be in force from 8 April 2026 to 30 April 2026.
Further information can be found in the Ministry of Finance’s Price Decree published in the Price Bulletin.
Reduction of excise duty on diesel
Unlike the regulation of maximum prices, the reduction of excise duty will apply in particular to diesel fuel referred to in Section 45(1)(b) of the Excise Duties Act and to selected blends thereof. However, it does not apply to heating oils, which are to be coloured and marked as standard, or to aviation kerosene.
The reduction in excise duty is implemented through a government measure that grants a blanket waiver of part of the excise duty on mineral oils to persons who are required to declare and pay tax on selected mineral oils in the period from 8 April to 30 April 2026. The waiver applies to mineral oils (diesel fuel and the related mixtures defined above) in the amount of CZK 1,939 per 1,000 litres; after taking the VAT impact into account, the overall effect amounts to CZK 2,350 per 1,000 litres (CZK 2.35 per litre).
The General Measure on the Blanket Waiver of Excise Duty on Selected Mineral Oils, published in the Financial Bulletin, contains further information, including a precise definition of the diesel fuel subject to the waiver, the procedure for tax refunds, the issuing of tax documents and reporting in tax returns.