On Thursday, March 5, Eugenia Gusilov explained to Antena1 that the final fuel price consists of components over which the state has no control, such as the international price of the barrel, transport, insurance, refining, and distribution costs, and components over which the state does have control, namely excise duty and VAT. When international oil quotations increase, the state can reduce its share through VAT or excise duty cuts.

In Romania, fuel excise was increased several times between 2024 and 2026, with the last increase on January 1, 2026, and VAT increased from 19% to 21% starting August 1, 2025. Increased taxation, even if phased, is felt more and more as international oil quotations increase, because the tax space was previously occupied by higher levies.