Fuel prices are rising again throughout the country: how much would it be and from what date

In all service stations in the country, fuel prices will rise again by almost 5% starting April 1, which generates concern among station business owners who have warned of sales drops of up to 25% in several provinces.

The increase is due to the entry into force of a new update of the Liquid Fuel Tax (ICL) and the Carbon Dioxide Tax (IDC), which – as defined by the national Government – must be adjusted monthly until they are updated. To achieve this, it established a scheme to transfer pending charges from the third quarter of 2021 to the same period in 2023.

As analyzed by the graduate in administration and fuel specialist Cristian Bergmanntaxes, both for diesel and gasoline, would increase 34.66% from Monday, April 1.

Based on the current prices for a liter of YPF super gasoline in the City of Buenos Aires ($800), it will represent an increase of 4.2% per liter sold, that is, about $33.66.

While in Tucumán, the price of the YPF super would rise $37.59; It would go from $895 to $932.59, if that percentage increase occurs in the province.

Meanwhile, Grade 2 diesel would increase at the pump by around 2.6%.

“The new tax scheme continues to put pressure on prices, in a context in which the national government is trying to reach import parity for refined fuel,” Bergmann expressed on the specialized site Surtidores.com.ar.

Given the repeated increases and decline in sales, station owners expressed their concern. The president of the Confederation of Hydrocarbon Trade Entities of Argentina (Cecha), Isabelino Rodríguez, stated that the drop in demand is “worrying.”

The drop in consumption, according to official data, reached 23% last January, although there are provinces that border other countries that registered drops of up to 25%.

In this context, many motorists decided to switch from premium gasoline (which costs almost $1,100 in Tucumán) to super, even though it is not recommended, especially in engines that are highly compressed. According to the National Energy Secretariat, 190,719 m3 of premium gasoline were shipped in the country last January, which represented a 23% drop compared to the same month in 2023.

The drop was so pronounced that the amount of fuel sold was even lower than that recorded five years ago, in January 2019, when Argentina’s vehicle fleet was 1.5 million cars smaller.