Nine Days to the Deadline: Will Fuel VAT Return to 18% After October 12
The reduced 10% VAT rate on fuel, extended rather than scrapped as earlier reported, expires on October 12 — and the government has not yet said whether it will extend it again or let it revert to the regular 18%.
The reduced 10% VAT rate on fuel, which the government extended instead of letting it expire, now has a new, concrete deadline — October 12, 2026. After that date, fuel is formally due to revert to the regular 18% rate, unless the government makes a new decision for a further extension.
The measure was introduced as part of a package to ease inflationary pressure on transport costs and household expenses, and had already been extended once after an earlier announcement that it would be scrapped. As the new deadline approaches, the question for drivers at the pump is whether the same pattern — an announced return to the regular rate followed by a last-minute extension — will repeat itself again.
The government has so far given no clear signal on its direction after October 12, and the eight-percentage-point price difference feeds directly into the final price per liter of fuel. Given the parallel drop in the market price of crude oil, the combination of lower global prices and a potential return to the higher VAT rate could partly or fully offset the benefit drivers might otherwise expect.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · October 3, 2026
