Excise clearances of unleaded petrol have seen a 13% increase since January 2023, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
This January, excise clearances of unleaded petrol stood at 82 million litres, compared to the January 2023 figure of 73 million litres.
Clearances of autodiesel in January 2024 stood at 287 million litres, meaning they were 4% higher than the January 2023 figure of 275 million litres.
Excise clearances of green diesel (marked gas oil) in January 2024 were 10% higher compared with January 2023. This was the highest marked gas oil clearances recorded for January since 2017.
Excise clearances refer to amounts of oil on which duty has been paid that are removed from tax warehouses.
Clearances of kerosene in January 2024 were 32% higher compared with January 2023.
Commenting on the figures, CSO statistician Deirdre Moran said: “Clearances of marked gas oil in January 2024 were 93 million litres, which were 10% higher than in January 2023.
“Marked gas oil is primarily used for off-road purposes such as agriculture and the heating of larger buildings.
“At 133 million litres, clearances of kerosene in January 2024 were 32% higher compared with January 2023. Kerosene is mainly used as a home heating fuel.”
Moran said excise clearances in January 2024 were the highest January figures for marked gas oil since 2017, unleaded petrol since 2019, autodiesel since 2020 and kerosene since 2021.
“Annual clearances of unleaded petrol, marked gas oil, and kerosene in 2023 were all substantially lower than the highest levels recorded in the 2000-2023 time series,” she said.
Excise tax rates
Excise duty on mineral oils is currently paid to the exchequer when the oils are removed from bonded warehouses.
Current excise rates (including carbon taxes) that are applicable at the end of the release month (or the rate that applied for most of the relevant month) are given in the table below in euro per thousand litres for the fuels most relevant for this release.
Fuel Rate per 1,000 litres Autodiesel €526.83 Unleaded petrol €606.39 Marked gas oil €149.09 Kerosene €122.83 Auto liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) €142.76 Other LPG €79.17 Heavy fuel oil non-propellant €164.23 Heavy fuel oil for navigation €526.83
The temporary excise rate reductions, which were introduced last year in response to higher fuel prices caused by the war in Ukraine, are extended until March 31, 2024.
As part of Budget 2024, half of the outstanding amounts of 8c on petrol, 6c on diesel and 3.4c on green diesel will be restored on April 1, 2024, with the balance restored on August 1, 2024.