Montenegro fuel tax and pricing dispute

A political dispute has emerged in Montenegro regarding government decisions on fuel excise taxes and their impact on citizens.

In July, Premier Milojko Spajić and the Europe Now! (PES) party accused opposition lawmakers of inciting a fuel-buying panic through alarmist social media messages. This followed an announcement of higher fuel prices, which the government later attempted to mitigate by reducing excise taxes by 10% on gasoline and 30% on diesel.

By August, opposition criticism intensified. Member of Parliament Boris Mugoša of the European Alliance argued that the government’s tax adjustments were harming the economy. Mugoša claimed that instead of prices decreasing, they rose by 6 to 7 cents, noting that diesel prices had increased by 54 cents per liter compared to several months prior. He further criticized the government for only implementing a 10% reduction in diesel excise taxes despite legal provisions allowing for up to 50%, and for rejecting proposals to temporarily reduce the 21% VAT on fuel.