Albanian stubbornness! The more fuel prices rise, the more they buy

High fuel prices do not appear to have curbed consumption in Albania. During August, more than 80,000 tons of fuel were cleared through customs in the country, marking the highest monthly level recorded so far.

Data published by the General Directorate of Customs show that the increase in fuel volumes also had a significant impact on customs revenues. In August, customs revenues reached 22.8 billion lek, around 1.7 billion lek more than in the same month of 2025.

Fuel appears to be one of the main factors behind this increase. Excise revenues related to fuel alone rose by 264 million lek, while total net excise collections increased by 502 million lek. Cigarettes also made a significant contribution, generating around 187 million lek.

The impact of fuel was even more significant on VAT revenues collected from imports. According to Customs, this category increased by 1.1 billion lek compared with August last year, while 741 million lek of this increase came solely from imported fuel.

The figures come at a time when Albania continues to rank among the European countries with the highest fuel prices. Nevertheless, August data show a different trend: rising prices have not been accompanied by lower consumption, but rather by a record level of fuel cleared through customs.

Other import categories also contributed to the increase in VAT revenues. Other imported products generated an additional 161 million lek, while used passenger cars contributed a further 146 million lek.

Meanwhile, customs duty revenues increased by 85 million lek, driven mainly by imports of clothing, meat and metal structures.

Mining royalties also increased, by 8 million lek, mainly due to higher volumes of exported minerals.

“KORÇA BOOM”