Fuel tax in Ireland87.3 cent of every petrol litre and 77.0 cent of every diesel litre go to the State.

A litre of petrol at €1.972 carries five charges on top of the fuel: non-carbon excise of 33.86 cent, carbon tax of 16.43 cent, the NORA levy of 0.1 cent, and VAT at 23% on the whole, which comes to 36.9 cent. Together they amount to 87.3 cent, or 44.3% of the price.

The carbon component is calculated from the tonnes of carbon dioxide a litre releases when burnt: €71 a tonne on petrol and diesel since 8 October 2025, which Revenue converts to 16.43 cent a litre of petrol and 19.00 cent a litre of diesel before VAT. The 2020 legislation sets a path to €100 a tonne by 2030.

Compared with the rates in force until 24 March 2026, a litre of petrol now carries 25.0 cent less excise and a litre of diesel 30.0 cent less, VAT included. Those are the sums the restoration timetable puts back between November and February.

VAT is charged on the price including excise, carbon tax and NORA, so every cent of duty costs the motorist 1.23 cent at the pump. The rate on road fuel has been 23% since March 2021, after a temporary 21% from September 2020.

Revenue's own table of rates, published since the carbon tax began on 10 December 2009, shows how far the 2026 cuts reached back: the total duty on petrol is now €502.88 per 1,000 litres, its lowest since May 2023.