High prices at gas stations are already leading to citizens refueling less, at least in the Netherlands. Accordingly, revenue from excise duties on gasoline is expected to be almost 400 million euros lower in the Dutch treasury this year than initially expected. This is according to recently published budget documents, reports Eer T El News, BTA reported.
The Dutch government predicts that the excise duty on light petroleum products, i.e. mainly gasoline, will bring in only 4.5 billion euros this year, compared to 4.9 billion euros expected six months ago.
Compared to the previous budget, the difference is not that big, but initially it was still expected that the excise duty on gasoline would not increase at all this year. Later, however, it was decided to raise the excise tax rate by more than 5 cents per liter. Despite this increase, the revenues will still be lower. This means that citizens are refueling significantly less, the Ministry of Finance concludes.
“Although excise taxes on fuels were ultimately set at a higher level than was envisaged in the 2026 budget report, this increase is offset by the smaller volume of fuel refueled as a result of high fuel prices“, the Ministry of Finance writes.
This is also indicated by the data of the Central Statistical Bureau. In the first quarter, the amount of gasoline refueled was 4.1 percent less. In the second quarter, when prices remained persistently high, consumption even fell by 6.6 percent compared to the same period a year earlier.
However, it is necessary to clarify whether people are really giving up their cars more often, or simply filling up elsewhere, notes Er T El News. In border regions, it may be profitable for many people to cross the border to fill up their tank, and authorities are currently investigating the extent to which this practice affects the data.