Petrol-Diesel Export Tax Update: Every time there is a change in the rules related to petrol and diesel, the first question that comes in people’s mind is whether it will affect their pockets or not. In such a situation, now the government has changed the export duty of petrol, diesel and ATF, hence it is very important to understand it.

By issuing a new notification on Friday, May 15, the Central Government has again changed the rates of Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) on the export of petrol, diesel and aviation fuel i.e. ATF. These new rates have come into effect from 16 May 2026. But it is a matter of relief that this will not affect the prices of petrol and diesel sold in the domestic market.

One country-two worlds! Tax of Rs 1 in Andaman and Rs 35 in Telangana, arbitrariness of states on petrol and diesel.

What are the new rates?

• According to the new notification, now Rs 3 per liter SAED will be charged on export of petrol.
• Whereas diesel will cost Rs 16.5 per litre.
• If we talk about ATF, it will cost Rs 16 per litre.
• At present, Road and Infrasructure Cess i.e. RIC has been kept at zero on all three.

What is SAED and how does it work?

SAED is a kind of additional excise charge, which is decided by the government every two weeks based on the average prices of crude oil and fuel in the international market. When oil prices increase in the global market, refineries get more profits in exports. In such a situation, companies start selling more fuel abroad instead of in the domestic market.

This may affect the supply in the country. To prevent this situation, the government imposes SAED, so that exports become expensive and domestic supply remains intact. This system was implemented from 27 March 2026. The government had imposed this charge for the first time to ensure domestic fuel supply amid Middle East tension.

How many days does it take for a check to clear in the bank? What are the rules of RBI for this, know

What were the rates earlier?

Let us tell you that in April, when the price of crude oil in the international market had crossed $ 120 per barrel, the government had increased the SAED on diesel to Rs 55.5 per liter and that on ATF to Rs 42 per liter. After this, when the prices softened a bit on May 1, it was reduced to Rs 23 per liter on diesel and Rs 33 per liter on ATF. Now, after another cut on May 16, diesel has come down to Rs 16.5 and ATF to Rs 16 per litre.

Charge imposed on petrol for the first time

Talking about the biggest change this time, for the first time, Rs 3 per liter SAED has been imposed on the export of petrol, because till now there was no charge on petrol export, but the government also included it in the scope because even after a slight softening in the prices of crude oil, export still remains a profitable deal for the refineries. The government believes that this will improve the availability of fuel in the domestic market.