Lisbon, Aug. 11, 2026 (Lusa) - The Socialist Party (PS) has accused the Portuguese Government of «continuing to make money by charging more tax per litre of fuel», criticising the decision to increase the ISP tax by two cents in a week when prices had fallen.

«The PS regrets that the Government remains completely insensitive to the rising cost of living for the Portuguese people, choosing once again to prioritise increasing tax revenue at the expense of supporting families and businesses,» reads a statement sent to newsrooms on Monday.

According to the party led by José Luís Carneiro, despite the fact that «diesel is now €0.35 more expensive than at the start of March and petrol is €0.20 more expensive», the Government has decided to increase the ISP (tax on petroleum products) by a further two cents.

«With this decision, the AD [Democratic Alliance coalition] Government is maintaining the increase in fuel taxes (ISP, carbon levy and VAT) that it has implemented since taking office in April 2024,» it claims.

The PS condemned the fact that fuel is «much more expensive», yet the Government continues «to make money by charging more tax per litre of fuel».

«This Government's state of denial and detachment is becoming increasingly incomprehensible. The Government cannot continue to be the only one to gain whilst all Portuguese people lose out,» it criticised.

According to the Socialists' calculations, fuel taxes currently amount to €0.09 per litre of diesel and €0.06 per litre of petrol more than when the AD took office.

The average price of fuel this week falls to €1.912 for regular 95 octane petrol and €2.021 for regular diesel, the Energy Services Regulatory Authority (ERSE) announced on Monday.

This indicator is a weekly average calculated by ERSE, taking into account international prices for refined fuels, freight costs, logistics, reserves, biofuels, retail prices and taxes.

JF/AYLS // AYLS

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