PM Kobakhidze: Fuel tax cuts won’t lower prices as excise claims are purely speculative

“High fuel costs stem from broader global market pressures, and reducing duties would fail to bring down pump prices,” Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze told reporters today, dismissing calls for excise cuts as political opportunism.

Responding to press queries regarding rising fuel costs and opposition proposals to lower fuel duties, the head of government maintained that tax adjustments would yield negligible relief for consumers.

“Global problem drives fuel prices. No matter how much you reduce taxes, it will not radically affect the price of fuel, simply because tax accounts for a very small fraction of the cost per litre,” Kobakhidze stated.

“Furthermore, tax revenues feed directly into the national budget, which ultimately serves the public. Calls for fuel duty cuts are therefore entirely speculative,” the Prime Minister added.