Dutch PM not ready to cut fuel taxes, then gas prices jumped 30% on Monday
Prime Minister Rob Jetten is monitoring the rising prices of gasoline and diesel, but sees no reason yet to reduce the excise duties on fuel, he told Nieuwsuur. The new Dutch Prime Minister spoke with the news magazine program over the weekend, before gas prices shot up another 30 percent when markets opened up on Monday morning.
“It’s impactful when a faraway war leads to higher prices at the pump at home,” Jetten told the program. He said the government was monitoring the situation and doing “everything we can” to ensure the security of supply in the Netherlands.
The recommended retail price for a liter of gasoline is currently approxmately €2.39. The recommended price for diesel hit a record of €2.44 per liter.
The Dutch government cut excise duties on fuel in April 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine and sparked a sharp increase in oil and, therefore, fuel prices. The government extended the measure several times, but finally increased the taxes on motor fuels again on January 1, 2026.
In the meantime, the war in Iran is again driving up oil and gas prices. The conflict shows no sign of abating after the United States and Israel started attacking Iran over a week ago.
On the Amsterdam gas exchange, the gas price shot up 30 percent to approximately 69 euros per megawatt-hour at the start of trading on Monday, ANP reported.
It followed the oil price, which rose above $100 a barrel for the first time since the summer of 2022. On Sunday, the price of U.S. oil, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) rose 20 percent ot over $109 a barrel. A barrel of Brent crude, the benchmark for Middle Eastern oil, jumped 19 percent to over $110.
