What is the fuel levy in South Africa in 2023?

Petrol users across South Africa are paying around R1.50 a litre more for fuel in May 2023 than at the same time last year. The increases to 93ULP inland and 95ULP at the coast represent increases of around 7% in petrol over a year period. The wholesale price of diesel over the same period decreased from R21.99/l in May 2022 to R20.15 in May 2023 inland, and from R21.34/l in May 2022 to R19.43/l in May 2023 at coastal rates.

The decrease in the price of diesel must, however, be seen against the backdrop of significant prices of this fuel between June and December 2022 when the price of a litre of diesel inland reached R25.40/l in July 2022. Similarly, petrol prices during this period (June – December 2022) remained high with ULP95 (inland) reaching R26.74/l in July 2022, and ULP95 at the coast reaching R26.09/l in the same month.

In May 2022, a litre of ULP93 inland cost R21.51 while the same fuel cost R23.01/l in May 2023. A litre of ULP95 at the coast cost R21.09 in May 2022, and in May 2023 that fuel now costs R22.62/l.

South Africa’s fuel price is comprised of many different elements, some of which make fuel in the country more expensive than in neighbouring countries to which South Africa exports. To understand the different elements which comprise a litre of petrol locally, the Automobile Association (AA) publishes a fuel price breakdown to give consumers a snapshot of the composition of a litre of petrol inland and at the coast.

The figures are based on 93 Octane fuel (inland) and 95 Octane (coastal).

The costs are calculated using May fuel price data which incorporates the two main taxes paid on every litre of fuel namely the General Fuel Levy (GFL) and the Road Accident Fund (RAF) levy. Increases to these levies are usually announced in February during the Finance Minister’s annual Budget speech and come into effect in April. In 2023, no increases to these levies were affected, but they remain significant contributors to the overall prices of fuel.