India scraps petrol export duty, keeps diesel and ATF levies unchanged
India has reduced the export levy on petrol to nil for the August 15-31 fortnight, while retaining duties of Rs 24 per litre on diesel and Rs 19.5 per litre on ATF.
The government has revised export levies on key petroleum products for the next fortnight, effective from Saturday, August 15. The latest adjustment, announced through a Finance Ministry notification on Friday, brings the special additional excise duty (SAED) on petrol exports down to nil.
While petrol exports will no longer attract the levy, diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) continue to face export duties. The SAED on diesel has been fixed at Rs 24 per litre, and for ATF it stands at Rs 19.5 per litre. No road and infrastructure cess (RIC) will be levied on diesel exports, according to the notification.
These export levies, first introduced in March 2026, were designed to ensure adequate domestic supply of petrol, diesel, and ATF by making overseas sales less attractive amid the West Asia crisis. The rates are reviewed every fortnight based on average international prices of crude oil and refined products since the previous review. The latest revision follows an earlier adjustment made on August 3.
The government has clarified that there is no change in the excise duty rates applicable to petrol and diesel cleared for domestic consumption. The current modification is confined solely to export-related levies, with the nil rate on petrol marking a reduction in the export burden for that product during the August 15-31 period.