North Macedonia’s Prime Minister, Hristijan Mickoski, said the price of diesel fuel would be 11 to 11.5 denars higher per litre if the government had not intervened by cutting value-added tax.

Responding to journalists’ questions, he recalled that, in addition to this decision, measures had previously been taken to reduce the excise duty. According to him, without these interventions, a litre of diesel would cost around 11–11.5 denars more than the current price.

Mickoski said that more than 2 million litres of fuel are sold at petrol stations across the country, an increase that, according to him, is particularly noticeable in the northern, western and southern areas, which also supply citizens arriving from Greece, Albania and Serbia.

Since around 70 per cent of the volume sold consists of diesel, daily consumption is estimated at approximately 1.4 million to 1.5 million litres. Based on this, the prime minister estimates that North Macedonia’s citizens are saving more than 250,000 euros a day.

According to him, over a period of approximately two weeks, including the approved reduction in customs duties—namely, the excise duty on unleaded petrol with 95 and 98 octane—the savings have reached 4.2 to 4.5 million euros. Mickoski described this as direct savings for citizens.

He added that the indirect impact of these measures can also be seen in the low inflation rate. Mickoski stressed that during July and August, at the height of the greatest global energy crisis remembered by humanity, the country recorded one of the lowest inflation rates, well below the level of the European Union.

In the region, North Macedonia ranks among the countries with the lowest inflation. According to Mickoski, only Serbia, the country’s northern neighbour, has a rate around 0.3–0.2 percentage points lower.

The prime minister also emphasised that North Macedonia currently has the lowest prices for diesel fuel and unleaded petrol with 95 and 98 octane. Compared with neighbouring countries and even some European countries, he said, the price difference ranges from 20 to 50 per cent./Telegrafi/

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