Singapore Budget 2019: Fuel duties jacked up for diesel vehicles

Singapore

DIESEL duties were doubled on Monday in a bid to cut pollution from exhaust, two years after the tax system for diesel fuel was first rejigged.

The move, announced by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat in his Budget speech, came with relief measures, such as tax rebates, to soften the financial blow to vehicle owners.

Observers told The Business Times the price impact is likely to curb diesel demand, as Mr Heng hopes, but added that more can still be done.

The excise duty on diesel has now been hiked to S$0.20 a litre - twice the duty introduced in 2017. Before that, diesel cars and taxis had to pay just a lump sum annual special t…