The government established a Partial update in fuel tax amounts Fluids (ICL) and carbon dioxide (IDC) as of December 1, 2025 and also more important in January 2026.
ARCA has stopped collecting more than $2,000 million due to delays in implementing the tax in 2024 and more than $1,200 million so far in 2025. The cumulative amount for the period 2021-2023 is US$4.8 billion.
How will petrol and diesel rise in December 2025?
to Unleaded gasoline and virgin gasolinethe increase in the tax component is US$16,377 per ICL and US$1,003 per IDC per litre.
This means a A total increase of $17.38 per litre Just to update these fuel taxes.
For diesel, the increase is $13,546 per ICL, plus an increase in differential tax for some areas of $7,335, and $1,544 per IDC per liter.
This is just an increase in the tax component. The final price at the pump may be higher, because oil companies usually pass on other costs and make additional adjustments.
How is the amendment implemented by the government?
The update implemented in December 2025 is compatible with Portion of pending increases from previous periods.
the government The overall application has been postponed Of updates. The increase in December applies to a specified portion of the amount.
The liquid fuel and carbon dioxide tax was originally designed to Quarterly adjusted for inflation (CPI). However, its implementation was postponed or partially implemented, which led to an overlapping or delayed increase over time.
The current system, according to Decree No. 840/2025, published last Friday in the Official Gazette, stipulates the following::
Partial increase in December 2025The increase scheduled to come into effect will be applied as of the first of this month.
Full update in January 2026– Completely removes the application from all accumulated and pending updates.
How much will gasoline cost in January 2026?
As of January 1, 2026, All increases are pending And accumulated.
This adjustment will include amounts that were pending update for all of 2024 and the first three quarters of 2025..
The impact will be on the price of gasoline in January 2026 Much higher than in Decemberwhere the entire delay will be recognized.
A. is estimated Only a very strong increase in taxesAlthough the exact final amount will depend on the total accumulated figure and the subsequent decision of the oil companies on other costs.
Some previous estimates indicated a possible increase in… 71% or 72% of the tax component in 2026.
How does the fuel tax work?
The fuel tax system is based on fixed amounts in pesos per unit of measurement (litre), rather than on percentages of the price. The most important of them:
Tax on liquid fuel:: It is the main tax.
YoCO2 tax: It is an additional tax related to the environmental impact.
The law stipulates that these fixed amounts must be updated every three months (in January, April, July and October every year) using CPI variations.
Over the years, its implementation has been continually postponed or postponed through decrees to try to mitigate its impact on inflation.
Thus, the fuel tax is a fixed amount that is updated according to inflation and the government manages its application in a gradual manner to mitigate the impact on general prices. This Monday there is an increase, and in January, there is an even more significant increase.