The Government extends the discount on diesel and, at the same time, begins to dismantle it. From 18 September the overall discount, including VAT, drops from 17.1 to 12.2 cents per litre; eight days later it halved again, stopping at 6.1 cents. On a 50 liter tank it means saving from 8.54 euros to 6.10 and then to just 3.05 euros. There is an extension. The discount, less and less.
The law decree approved on 16 September by the Council of Ministers maintains the concession until 5 October exclusively on diesel fuel. The petrol stays out. What was announced as a further measure against high fuel prices is therefore a gradual exit from the support: the cut survives on the calendar, while it tapers off at the pump.
How much is the discount reduced from September 18th
Until 17 September the excise duty on diesel is set at 532.90 euros per thousand litres, as established by legislative decree 157 of 10 September 2026. The difference compared to the ordinary rate of 672.90 euros is worth 14 cents per litre. Since the excise duty enters the base on which VAT is also calculated at 22%, the advantage for a motorist reaches approximately 17.1 cents per litre.
From 18 to 25 September the excise duty rises to 572.90 euros per thousand litres. The tax reduction thus drops to 10 cents, equal to 12.2 cents per liter with VAT.
With the other price components being equal, from 18 September the tax component therefore increases by approximately 4.9 cents per litre. To fill a 50 liter tank you will need around 2.44 euros more than the previous day.
The second discount reduction arrives almost immediately. From 26 September to 5 October the excise duty rises again, up to 622.90 euros per thousand litres. The remaining tax benefit is 5 cents, which becomes 6.1 cents per liter with VAT. For the same 50 liter tank the saving stops at 3.05 euros: another 3.05 euros lost compared to the previous week.
In less than ten days, therefore, the advantage recognized to motorists goes from 8.54 to 3.05 euros per full tank. The extension extends the duration of the measure, while leaving almost two thirds of it on the way.
Petrol remains excluded
The new intervention only concerns diesel used as fuel. No cuts are being reintroduced for petrol, even if the decree was presented as a measure intended to contain the increase in the cost of fuel.
Furthermore, the tax discount does not guarantee that the price displayed by distributors will decrease. The cost at the pump also depends on the international prices of refined products, the euro-dollar exchange rate and the margins applied along the supply chain. Here the certain movement concerns taxes: they increase in two steps, while the cut is reduced.
For businesses and professionals who can deduct VAT on fuel, the actual benefit coincides with only the reduction in excise duty. It will therefore be 10 cents per liter from 18 to 25 September and 5 cents from 26 September to 5 October.
From October 6th the discount is not yet written
The extension costs 111.8 million euros in 2026, to which 1.2 million are added in 2028. Resources used to temporarily maintain a reduction that becomes smaller with each step.
From 6 October, in the absence of another provision, the ordinary excise duty of 672.90 euros per thousand liters will return. Giorgia Meloni announced the entry into operation of the mobile excise duty mechanism, which allows part of the increased VAT revenue produced by the increase in prices to be used to reduce the excise duty. The extent and duration of any new discount, however, will have to be established with another act.
For now the only certain figures all point in the same direction: 17.1 cents, then 12.2, finally 6.1. The Government extended the cut by building two steps. Both uphill.
