Lowering fuel tax
Act amending the annex to the Act on Excise Duty on Liquid Fuels
Taxation of petrol and diesel will be reduced from the start of 2024. The change compensates for the rise in liquid fuel prices resulting from the distribution obligation for renewable fuels.
- Status
- Passed
- Submitted
- 9 Oct 2023
- Latest event
- 14 Dec 2023
- Votes
- 1
- Speeches
- 13
- Confirmed
- 21 Dec 2023
- Statute
- 1224/2023
- Source
- eduskunta.fi ↗
What is proposed
The value of a tonne of carbon dioxide used as the basis for calculating the carbon dioxide tax on transport fuels will be reduced from 77 euros to 62 euros. The excise duty will decrease by an average of 3.9 cents per litre for petrol and substitute products, and by an average of 3.8 cents per litre for diesel.
What it means
The act will enter into force on 1 January 2024. The change will lower the pump price of petrol, including value added tax (VAT), by about 4.4 cents per litre and diesel by about 4.9 cents per litre, easing fuel costs for motorists as well as the transport sector and businesses. Central government excise duty revenues will decrease by about 168 million euros at the 2024 level, and transport emissions are estimated to increase slightly as consumption rises.
How Parliament voted
2nd reading · 11 Dec 2023Parliament passed the act by 123–58.
The Centre voted with the government. 18 MPs were absent. Minutes ↗
Filled dot = yes, ring = no, grey = absent. Point at a dot to see the MP. Seats follow the current seating plan (updated 18 Sep 2026). 15 MPs who voted are not in the current seating plan.
A passed act does not enter into force immediately: the President of the Republic confirms it, and it enters into force on the date set in the act. This act was confirmed on 21 Dec 2023.
Debate in the chamber
What was argued and where each group stood, followed by MPs' speeches verbatim from the parliamentary record. Speeches are shown in their original language.
13 speeches · 10 speakers · 2 debates
Key points of the debate
The debate addressed the effects of lowering fuel tax on motorists' daily lives, climate targets and central government finances. The government parties viewed the tax cut as an important measure to support the purchasing power and commuting of Finns in a country of long distances. The opposition considered the proposal contrary to climate action or criticised it for breaking election promises and weakening the tax deduction for commuting expenses at the same time.
- Will a small tax cut sufficiently ease costs for motorists and commuters?
- Will lowering fuel tax undermine the achievement of Finland's climate targets?
- Are the measures inconsistent with cutting the commuting expense deduction?
- National Coalition PartyIn favour
Lowering fuel tax is a historic decision that strengthens the purchasing power of Finns and takes into account the reality of a country with long distances.
”Nyt tämä polttoaineveron lasku on tietysti historiallinen päätös.”
— Heikki Autto - Finns PartyIn favour
The tax cut eases daily life for motorists and commuters in areas where there is no public transport and people cannot afford an electric car.
”Kyllähän se tosiasia on, edustaja Saramo, että tämä hallitus on autoilijamyönteisin hallitus, mitä tässä eduskunnassa on kuuna päivänä ollut.”
— Miko Bergbom - Social DemocratsAgainst
The proposed small tax cut does not meet the election promises made, and costs for commuters will in fact rise due to the increase in the own-liability threshold for commuting expense deductions.
”Eli tämä polttoainekysymys on hyvin ristiriitainen ja sitten samaten myös työmatkakuluvähennyksen omavastuuosuuden korottaminen, tosi erikoista.”
— Timo Suhonen - Centre PartyIn favour with reservations
The group supports lowering fuel tax, but considers the cut small compared to election promises and criticises the weakening of the commuting expense deduction and the lack of a professional diesel scheme.
”Täytyy todeta, että hallitusta kiitän siitä, että polttoaineveroa alennetaan se neljä senttiä.”
— Tuomas Kettunen - GreensAgainst
Lowering fuel tax weakens emissions steering in transport, increases dependence on fossil fuels and weakens public finances.
”Tämä esityksen mukainen bensaveroalennus ei ole siis linjassa Suomen päästövähennystavoitteiden kanssa.”
— Saara Hyrkkö - Left AllianceAgainst
A small fuel tax cut is insufficient, and the Government is simultaneously penalising working people by raising the costs of commuting by car.
”Te olette nostamassa työmatka-autoilijoiden verotusta.”
— Jussi Saramo
This digest was generated by AI from 13 speeches 13 Sep 2026. Group positions are read from the speeches, not from votes; quotations were checked verbatim against the record.
Yleiskeskustelu päättyi. Eduskunta hyväksyi hallituksen esitykseen HE 36/2023 vp sisältyvän lakiehdotuksen sisällön mietinnön mukaisena. Lakiehdotuksen ensimmäinen käsittely päättyi.
Keskustelu päättyi ja asian käsittely keskeytettiin.
Stages of consideration
The bill's path from the preliminary debate to the decision, as recorded by Parliament.
- 9 Oct 2023Eduskuntakäsittelyn vireilletulo · Valtiovarainministeriö
- 10 Oct 2023Lähetekeskustelu · Täysistunto
- 28 Nov 2023Valiokunnan mietintö tai lausunto · valtiovarainvaliokunta
- 5 Dec 2023Ensimmäinen käsittely · Täysistunto
- 12 Dec 2023Toinen käsittely · Täysistunto
- 13 Dec 2023Eduskunnan vastaus ja kirjelmä
Decisions by law proposal1
- 1Laki nestemäisten polttoaineiden valmisteverosta annetun lain liitteen muuttamisestaHyväksytty · 1224/2023 · 21 Dec 2023
Proposed law text
The law proposals in the bill as the Government presented them. The final act may differ after committee consideration.
The law text is shown in Finnish or Swedish from Parliament's official documents; it is not translated into English.
Laki nestemäisten polttoaineiden valmisteverosta annetun lain liitteen muuttamisesta
Eduskunnan päätöksen mukaisesti muutetaan nestemäisten polttoaineiden valmisteverosta annetun lain (1472/1994) liite, sellaisena kuin se on laissa 1032/2020, seuraavasti:
§
Tämä laki tulee voimaan päivänä kuuta 20 .
Main content of the bill (official)
The summary and title were produced with AI on 2 Sep 2026. They are not official documents – check the details in the original bill. The title and summaries are machine translations of the Finnish AI summaries. Speeches and quotations are always shown in their original language.