Petrol falls by Rs0.94 per litre as lower global oil prices provide limited relief, while a higher levy pushes the HSD price up by Rs0.54.
ISLAMABAD: The government has announced a marginal reduction in the price of petrol while increasing the petroleum levy on high-speed diesel (HSD), limiting the benefit of lower international oil prices for consumers.
According to the latest petroleum price calculations, effective August 13, 2026, the petrol price has been reduced by Rs0.94 per litre, from Rs325.92 to Rs324.98 per litre. The reduction follows a decline in the international petrol benchmark and the corresponding import cost.
The Platts Arab Gulf Mean Average for petrol declined from $100.82 per barrel on August 12 to $100.29 per barrel on August 13. The cost and freight component also fell from $111.69 to $111.16 per barrel, while the rupee-denominated cost and freight declined from Rs195.23 to Rs194.28 per litre.
Despite the lower underlying cost, the reduction in the retail price remains below Rs1 per litre. The petroleum levy on petrol has remained unchanged at Rs80 per litre, while the Climate Support Levy stands at Rs5 per litre and sales tax remains zero.
Petroleum levy on HSD rises again
Meanwhile, the government has increased the petroleum levy on HSD by another Rs1 per litre.
The levy has risen from Rs76.28 per litre on August 12 to Rs77.28 per litre effective August 13. This follows an earlier increase from Rs74.28 per litre on August 8 to Rs76.28 per litre on August 12.
The latest increase comes despite a further decline in international diesel prices. The Platts Arab Gulf Mean Average for diesel fell from $145.81 per barrel to $145.56 per barrel, while the cost and freight component declined from $150.91 to $150.66 per barrel.
The underlying HSD price before petroleum levy, Climate Support Levy and sales tax declined from Rs300.97 per litre on August 12 to Rs300.51 per litre on August 13.
However, the higher petroleum levy more than offset the decline in the underlying price.
Consequently, the total HSD price, excluding secondary freight, increased by Rs0.54 per litre, from Rs382.25 to Rs382.79 per litre.
Lower global prices fail to bring diesel relief
The latest pricing data show that international benchmark prices for both petrol and diesel have declined. However, the impact on consumers has differed because of changes in domestic pricing components.
For petrol, the decline in the international benchmark has resulted in a modest reduction in the retail price. For HSD, the continued increase in the petroleum levy has absorbed the benefit of lower international prices and pushed the final price higher.
The Climate Support Levy remains unchanged at Rs5 per litre for HSD, while sales tax is zero.
The latest petroleum prices are effective from August 13, 2026, at 00:00 hours. The pricing documents state that the full impact of revisions in daily international prices is passed on over seven working days.