After the increase in the price of oil due to the war, Lula and Haddad announce tax exemption and inspection on those who speculate with diesel
The Federal Government announced on Thursday (12) a set of strategic measures aimed at reducing the price of oil and, consequently, fuels in the domestic market. The measure comes at a time of oil inflation — increased by the war in Iran and the region — and seeks to create a defense mechanism against sudden fluctuations in the international scenario, which have impacted freight and the cost of living in 2026.
The central pillar of the package is the exemption from two federal taxes — PIS and Cofins — on diesel fuel. With taxes zeroed, the federal government estimates 64 cents of savings per liter. The exemption also applies to aviation kerosene. According to the Minister of Finance, Fernando Haddad, there is a focus on diesel due to the country’s logistics. Thus, there was a fear that the increase in freight for everything would generate a cascading readjustment in the price chain.
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At the press conference announcing the exemption, Fernando Haddad criticized national distributors that are increasing fuel prices due to the conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States. According to Haddad, the war in the Middle East has not generated an increase in costs in Brazilian operations. Therefore, the minister understands, companies would be increasing prices only to increase their profit margins.
Another measure seeks to contain the export of Brazilian oil – taking advantage of demand in the rest of the world – which also raises prices at the country’s gas stations. Thus, there will be a tax on exported oil, which will make up a price cushioning fund. The money from this fund will be used by the government when necessary to “close the account” of consumption and compensate for any fluctuations.
Finally, Haddad said that the ANP — the oil regulatory agency — will publish a resolution that aims to combat cartel tactics and price abuse. The minister guarantees that there will be an objective and verifiable calculation in the resolution, which will allow the punishment of companies that speculate with the fuel. “In the provisional measure, we created new [criminal] types to characterize the abusiveness of the distributor. Both in the case of unjustified fuel storage and in the case of abusive price increase,” he said.
In the MP at the request of the president we created 2 new types to characterize abusiveness of the distributor. Both in the case of unjustified fuel storage and abusive price increases. Which will be inspected by the ANP based on objective criteria that will be the agency’s resolution criteria. It will say how abusiveness is verified and will have the power to punish based on objective rules
Industry analysts differ on the effectiveness of the intervention. While productive sectors celebrate the relief in logistics costs, the financial market is cautiously monitoring the fiscal impact of the measures and the level of interference in Petrobras’ pricing policy. The expectation is that the reflection at the fuel pumps will be noticed gradually in the next two weeks, depending on the distributors’ stock.
