Good news for everyone who refuels across the border. Fuel will be even cheaper in Belgium from this weekend. The excise duty on a liter of petrol and diesel will be reduced by 17.5 cents. As a result, you can save up to 60 cents per liter across the border.
The measure taken by the Belgian government to reduce fuel prices will come into effect on Saturday and will last until at least the end of June. Many motorists from the border region regularly drive across the border to fill their tank. Tank tourism has recently caused a lot of crowds at the petrol pumps in Belgium.
The war in Ukraine has caused an unprecedented rise in the price of oil in recent weeks. This is also felt at the pump and on the energy bill. Just like in the Netherlands, there was a strong call for a reduction in excise duty to keep driving affordable.
Savings
In Udenhout you can refuel the cheapest in the Tilburg region on Tuesday afternoon. A liter of Euro 95 (E10) costs 2.26 euros there. Anyone who refuels directly across the border at Van Raak in Poppel will lose 1.95 euros for a liter of petrol. If you drive a little further to the Argos in Ravels, you only pay 1.83 euros per liter. That is a difference of 43 cents per liter of petrol.
If you add to that the upcoming excise duty reduction, filling up across the border will soon be 48 to 60 cents per liter cheaper for Tilburg residents than in the Netherlands. Those few kilometers detour are quickly earned back. Whoever runs his tank almost empty and then fills up with fifty liters of petrol saves a lot:
- Udenhout: 113 euros
- Poppel now: 97.55 euros (after excise duty reduction: 88.80 euros)
- Ravels now: 91.55 euros (after excise duty reduction: 82.80 euros)
Belgian gas station owners indicated last week that they expect the excise duty reduction to lead to extreme crowds across the Belgian border. “Due to the high fuel prices, more Dutch people are now filling up here and with the reduction in excise duty, that will only increase,” garage and gas station owner Marc Bols said earlier.
He is happy with the extra business, but not everyone is enthusiastic about tank tourism across the border. “It’s already crazy and unfriendly at times,” complains a Flemish motorist in Ravels. “When you’re here, behave a little and wait your turn.”
Dutch excise duty reduction
The huge price difference with Belgium is only temporary, because the excise duty in the Netherlands will also be reduced from 1 April. Until the end of the year you pay 17 cents less excise duty on a liter of petrol and 11 cents less on diesel. This means that the difference between Belgium and the Netherlands is almost the same as before.
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