India


Centre hikes diesel excise Duty and Cess with immediate effect

New Delhi, Apr 11 (UNI) The Ministry of Finance on Saturday announced a series of revisions to duties and cesses on high-speed diesel, issuing multiple notifications that came into force with immediate effect.
According to official notifications dated April 11, 2026, the government has increased the Special Additional Excise Duty on high-speed diesel under the provisions of the Finance Act, 2002. The revised rate has been set at Rs. 24 per litre, replacing the earlier entry in the Eighth Schedule. The notification stated that the decision was taken as the Centre was “satisfied that circumstances exist which render it necessary to take immediate action.”
In a parallel move, the government also raised the Road and Infrastructure Cess on diesel under the Finance Act, 2018. The revised rate has been fixed at Rs. 36 per litre, with the notification similarly citing the need for urgent action in view of prevailing circumstances.
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