Diesel is now the most expensive fuel at the pump: 99 denars a litre, pricier even than 98-octane petrol

Since midnight, a litre of diesel at Macedonian pumps costs 99 denars. That is two denars more than yesterday and, more importantly, more than both grades of petrol. Eurosuper BS-95 fell to 96 denars and BS-98 to 98 denars, after a cut of 2.50 denars a litre. The new prices were set by the Energy Regulatory Commission (RKE) and apply from 20 October.

The maths is simple. A full 50-litre tank of diesel is now 100 denars more expensive, while 50 litres of petrol are 125 denars cheaper. For a private driver that is the price of a coffee. For hauliers, delivery drivers and farmers, diesel is a working tool, so every increase pushes up operating costs - and whether it reaches the price of whatever they carry depends on how much of it they can absorb.

Why this way round? According to the RKE, benchmark petrol prices on the world market fell by an average of 4.142 percent, while diesel rose by 2.966 percent. Extra-light heating oil for households, now 110.50 denars a litre, and fuel oil are also going up. The calculation still includes the government's relief measures: 10 percent VAT on diesel and excise duty cut by four denars a litre.

Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, for his part, announced that the reduced VAT on diesel will continue and that the government is close to a deal with OKTA for an extra two-denar discount per litre of diesel. "Unlike every other government in Europe, this government takes the least through VAT and excise, and that is why citizens today have the lowest prices when it comes to diesel and unleaded petrol," he said.

That is worth pausing on. "The lowest in Europe" is a comparison in euros, and Macedonian salaries are nowhere near European levels. How many litres of fuel one Macedonian salary buys - that figure rarely comes up at press conferences. And why is the two-denar discount always "close", while the price rise arrives bang on midnight?

Meanwhile parliament extended the state of crisis over oil supply risks for another six months, until April. The government insists there will be enough fuel. The price is another story: the new maximum prices last seven days, and the next RKE decision will show whether the promised discount actually reaches the pumps.