Bulgaria’s revenue agency reports significant increase in fuel sales in March 2026

Bulgaria’s National Revenue Agency reported on April 15 a significant increase in fuel sales in March 2026, with sales of diesel rising the most, against the background of the war in the Middle East that has sharply affected fuel prices.

This emerged at a joint briefing by the agency and the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) in connection with inspections as part of implementation of the Euro Adoption Act, which forbids price increases without objective economic justification amid Bulgaria’s transition to the common European currency.

“Since the beginning of the war in the Middle East, we have started daily monitoring of fuel prices and inspections at fuel stations,” National Revenue Agency head Milena Krastanova told the briefing.

“So far, the price of A95 petrol has increased by 19.9 per cent and that of diesel by 38 per cent,” Krastanova said.

More than 820 inspections have been carried out across Bulgaria, out of 3686 in the country, with 475 traders found to have increased their trade margins, with this predominantly happening for one type of fuel, while for the others there was a slight decrease in margins, she said.

The National Revenue Agency has requested these traders to submit additional documents and justifications, and if tax inspectors establish that there is no economically justification for the price increase, sanctions will follow under the Euro Adoption Act.

Krastanova said that in this case, margin means the difference between the purchase and sale price of fuel.

“The picture regarding the so-called ‘operating margin’ for March will become clearer in a month, because all costs such as salaries, etc. have to be calculated,” Krastanova said.

On-site inspections of the 10 major fuel station chains have found that there has been a decrease in diesel margins by an average of 1.6 percentage points, but an increase of 0.5 percentage points in petrol margins and 3.6 percentage points in LPG margins.

According to the National Revenue Agency, prices have risen significantly since the start of the conflict in the Middle East.

The agency also announced a significant increase in VAT revenues from fuels – 86.8 million euro for March, which is nearly 24 per cent more on an annual basis.

For the first quarter, the treasury received 208.9 million euro from VAT on fuels, which is an increase of 4.5 per cent compared with the first quarter of 2025.

In March 2026, more fuels were sold compared to the same month of the previous year.

During the first 14 days of April, a decrease in the quantities of fuels sold was observed.

For diesel, the decrease was 10 per cent, and for petrol and propane-butane, an increase of 6.9 per cent and 1.8 per cent compared with the last 14 days of March 2026. This results in a total decrease in the quantities of fuels sold of five per cent.

In March, despite the increase in prices, there was an increase in the amount of fuel sold compared with February.

A total of 353.3 million litres were sold, which is 67.2 million litres – or 23.5 per cent – more than in February 2026.

The largest growth was recorded in the sale of diesel – 25.2 per cent, followed by the sale of A95 petrol with 23.6 per cent and propane-butane with 17.9 per cent.

However, in April, diesel consumption decreased. In the first 14 days of April, 10 per cent fewer diesel were sold compared to the last 14 days of March. On the other hand, petrol sales increased by 6.9 per cent and LPG sales by 1.9 per cent, probably related to increased travel during the Easter holidays.

The CPC said that nearly 8800 inspections have been carried out and 863 infringement notices were issued.

Over 220 million price items were analysed through the “What does it cost?” platform, with unjustified increases identified in about 10 per cent.

The CPC also announced significant price increases for a number of services and goods in the country.

According to the commission’s data, the most serious increases were recorded for public parking (up to 100 per cent), fitness services (up to 160 per cent), transportation (up to 67 per cent), as well as hairstyling and cosmetic services (between 17 per cent and 100 per cent).

Food prices have also increased – tomatoes by nearly 62 per cent, cabbage by about 30 per cent, sausages by 20 per cent, cheese by over 20 per cent, as well as an increase in bread, eggs, and dairy products.

Mass inspections in the country began in October last year in connection with the introduction of the euro in Bulgaria as of January 1 2026. Since then, tax authorities have carried out inspections in nearly 14 000 commercial establishments, with the largest number being food shops and restaurants.

Massive inspections for compliance with the Euro Adoption Act are to continue in the coming months, the briefing was told.

(Photo: Hippopx)