Fuel prices in Romania are no longer determined solely by the evolution of crude oil, but also by taxes and excise duties, which increased steadily between 2020 and 2026 - a period during which pump prices rose by more than 80%, according to an analysis published Saturday by president of the Intelligent Energy Association (AEI), Dumitru Chisalita.
"In Romania, the discussion about fuels almost always begins with 'how much is a barrel' and ends with 'who is ripping us off'. The data from 2020 and 2026 tell a more uncomfortable and clearer story: with each passing year, diesel and gasoline become less of a market product and more of a fiscal and administrative mechanism, in which the state increases the share of taxes, and costs rise rapidly. The pump price is no longer just the market. It is also fiscal policy. In 2020, 63% of every liter of fuel went to the state budget. In 2026, the percentage reaches 69%. That means that almost 7 out of 10 RON paid at the pump are not oil, not transport, not refining, and neither commercial margin. They are public money," Chisalita argues.
In his opinion, between 2020 and 2026, the total cost of fuels rose massively: diesel from 4.73 to 8.67 RON/liter (+83%), and gasoline from 4.81 to 8.24 RON/liter (+71%), showing a structural price increase driven by three main factors: raw material, taxation, and internal costs.
According to the AEI president, the strongest increases, however, come from taxes: excise duties rose by approximately 62% (diesel 1.73 - 2.80 RON/liter, gasoline 1.89 - 3.06 RON/liter), and VAT per liter increased by between 64 - 70% (diesel 0.92 - 1.51 RON/liter, gasoline 0.84 - 1.43 RON/liter). Over the same period, Brent crude expressed in RON/liter also rose by about 62%, while the exchange rate increased by only 12%, showing that in the past five years the main driver of price hikes has not been the oil market alone, but also taxation.
"Just from these two lines (excise + VAT), the differences are already huge. Practically, taxation is not 'a part of the price'; it becomes the axis around which the price is rebuilt. (...) Excise increases just like the raw material. The VAT goes up because the base increases. If it had been only the oil market, we would be talking about global volatility. But the figures show something else: the main driver of price increases in the last 5 years is fiscal," Dumitru Chisalita explains.
On the other hand, the data shows that the operational chain has not remained stable either: transport costs increased by 407%, refining by 641%, and distribution by 50%. "Refining is more than sixfold up in percentage terms. I's a huge dynamic. This means that the pressure does not come from taxes alone, but also from the actual cost of producing and delivering fuel in Romania. The system is becoming structurally more expensive," Chisalita details.
In conclusion, the data presented by the AEI president shows that between 2020 and 2026, the fuel pump price in Romania increased by about 80%, while crude oil rose by 62% and the exchange rate by just 12%. Over the same period, excise duties increased by more than 62% and the VAT per liter by more than 70%, raising the share that goes directly or indirectly to the budget from 63% to 69%.
"That means that almost 7 RON out of 10 paid at the pump are fiscal money. It's not the market that sets the price. It's not the commercial margin, nor the exchange rate. It's the fiscal structure that shapes the price. When the state constantly increases its share, when taxes rise faster than the raw material, responsibility can no longer be attributed solely to 'greed' or 'external circumstances'. The harsh reality is that the liter of fuel has primarily become a budget-collection instrument. And when almost 70% of the price is taxation, the price increase is no longer a market accident. It is an economic policy choice," concludes the president of the Intelligent Energy Association.
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