Bulgarians stocked up on 60 million l of expensive fuel in March

Regulators found inflated profit margins on fuel at nearly half of the gas stations inspected across the country

17:53 15.04.2026 ~ 3 min read

The volume of fuel sold in Bulgaria rose by more than a fifth in March – the first full month following the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East. The data was presented by Milena Krastanova, Executive Director of the National Revenue Agency (NRA), during a press conference on Wednesday.

According to her the total volume sold during the month was 353.3 million l, which is 23.5% more than in February, or over 60 million l. The breakdown by fuel type shows the following increases in sales: This stockpiling occurred amid significantly higher prices. A check on the Fuelo portal shows that gasoline and diesel prices increased by 17% and 30%, respectively. The comparison is between February 28, when the U.S. and Israel’s war with Iran began, and March 31.

Diesel – 25.2%;
Gasoline A95 – 23.6%;
Propane-butane – 17.9%.

Data from the RIA shows that the situation in the first half of April is calming down. Sales during this period, compared to the second half of March, decreased — by 10% for diesel, 6.9% for gasoline and 1.8% for propane-butane. The total decrease in the volume of fuel sold is 5%.

Positive Impact on the Budget
At the press conference Krastanova also provided information on VAT revenues resulting from increased sales.

VAT revenue from fuel sales in March reached €86.8 million, representing a 23.9% increase year-over-year and a 44.3% increase month-over-month,” said the Executive Director of the National Revenue Agency.

In the first quarter of 2026 alone VAT revenue from these sales amounted to €208.9 million, which is €9.5 million more or a 4.5% increase year-over-year.

We remind you that VAT revenues are key to the interim cabinet of Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov’s budget for funding measures to support citizens and businesses, precisely because of the rise in fuel prices. Calculations by acting Finance Minister Georgi Klissurski indicate that the additional VAT revenue by the end of the year will cover a total of €50 - 60 million of the €100 million needed for these measures. However officials have not yet definitively stated where the remaining amount will come from.

“Stay tuned”

Between March 11, 2026 and March 25, 2026 the National Revenue Agency (NRA) together with the Consumer Protection Commission (CPC) inspected nearly 1 000 of the 3 686 registered gas stations in the country. The tax inspections also covered the larger gas stations in the country.

It turns out that at 48 of the inspected locations regulators recorded an increase in the margin for all types of fuel (diesel, gasoline and propane-butane) while at 88 locations there was a simultaneous increase in the margin for A95 gasoline and diesel.

At 475 locations inspected by the revenue agency an increase in the margin was found for at least one type of fuel at a given gas station,” said Krastanova.

She explained that these merchants were asked to provide documentation justifying the increase in the selling price of a given type of fuel.

We will issue citations against merchants found to have unjustified price increases in accordance with the Law on the Introduction of the Euro,” warned the head of the National Revenue Agency.

Acting Chairman of the Commission for Consumer Protection (CCP) Alexander Kolyachev also cited data showing that the CCP alone has conducted nearly 9 000 inspections since the start of the campaign and issued 863 citations. He made a special appeal to merchants, stating: