Windfall levy on petrol, diesel and jet fuel lowered
The government reduced the Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED), commonly called the windfall levy, on exports of diesel, petrol, and aviation turbine fuel (ATF), effective 16 September 2026.
The levy (including the road and infrastructure cess) on diesel exports was cut from ₹25 to ₹20 per litre.
The SAED on ATF exports was reduced from ₹19 to ₹15 per litre.
The duty on petrol exports was cut from ₹1.5 to ₹0.5 per litre.
The change came through the government's routine fortnightly review of export duties and partly reverses increases announced in the previous review from 1 September 2026; domestic retail prices of petrol and diesel are unaffected, as the levy applies only to exports.
Special Additional Excise Duty (SAED) — the "Windfall Tax" Mechanism
SAED is the legal instrument through which India taxes windfall profits earned by energy companies from unusually high international crude oil prices or refining margins, rather than from operational efficiency.
Key Details
- First imposed on 1 July 2022, when a surge in global crude prices following the Russia-Ukraine conflict inflated refiners' export margins; initial rates were ₹6/litre on petrol and ATF and ₹13/litre on diesel exports, plus a windfall tax on domestic crude production above a $75/barrel threshold.
- Levied under the Central Excise framework as an additional excise duty (distinct from the regular excise duty on fuel), applicable separately to (a) domestically produced crude oil and (b) exports of petrol, diesel, and ATF.
- Withdrawn on 2 December 2024 as international crude prices softened, then reintroduced on 26 March 2026 after renewed price volatility linked to Middle East tensions and disruptions to global crude trade.
- Rates are recalibrated roughly every fortnight by the Finance Ministry based on average international crude prices and refining "crack spreads" (the margin between a refined product's export price and the cost of the crude used to make it) over the preceding two weeks.
The 16 September 2026 cut is one such fortnightly recalibration, reflecting a softening in crack spreads/crude prices since the previous review on 1 September 2026, which had raised the rates.
Windfall Tax as a Fiscal Policy Tool
A windfall tax is a form of ad hoc, event-triggered taxation levied on unexpected, above-normal profits — distinguishing it from regular, predictable taxes like corporate income tax or a fixed excise duty.
Key Details
- Rationale: it captures "excess" profits arising from external price shocks rather than a firm's own efficiency or investment, and can discourage refiners from diverting output to lucrative export markets during periods of domestic supply stress.
- It is classified as an indirect tax (an excise duty) rather than a direct tax on profits, meaning it is levied per unit of output (per litre/per tonne) rather than as a percentage of profit.
- Because it depends entirely on volatile global commodity prices, its revenue yield is unpredictable, which is why it is administered through frequent (fortnightly) revision rather than an annual budget rate.
- Similar windfall taxes have been used internationally, including the UK's Energy Profits Levy on North Sea oil and gas producers.
The lowering of the levy illustrates the tax's self-adjusting, price-linked design — as global crude prices and refining margins ease, the levy is scaled down automatically at the next review rather than requiring fresh legislation.
- Revised rates effective 16 September 2026: diesel export levy ₹20/litre (from ₹25), ATF export levy ₹15/litre (from ₹19), petrol export levy ₹0.5/litre (from ₹1.5).
- SAED was first introduced on 1 July 2022, withdrawn on 2 December 2024, and reintroduced on 26 March 2026.
- The levy is reviewed on a fortnightly cycle based on average international crude prices and refining crack spreads.
- Domestic retail prices of petrol and diesel are unaffected by SAED, which applies only to crude production and fuel exports.