Transport Federation plans rally to urge state to cap diesel prices, cut excise tax

The continued rise in global crude oil prices means the government is expected to raise domestic prices after the 15-day cap on diesel at no more than 30 baht a litre expires on Tuesday (March 17).

This comes as the Oil Fuel Fund is currently running a deficit of 12.605 billion baht after subsidising diesel prices since March 4.

The government will therefore have to raise the diesel ceiling from the previous freeze at 29.94 baht a litre to better reflect the continued rise in global market prices.

However, the increase will not be imposed in one steep jump.

Instead, prices will be raised gradually by 50 satang or 1 baht a litre at a time, as done previously, so as not to place too much pressure on goods prices and the public’s cost of living.

Thongyoo Khongkhan, president of the Land Transport Federation of Thailand, told Bangkokbiznews that the federation has scheduled a TRUCK POWER event at Laem Chabang Port on March 18, 2026, to demonstrate its position and call on the government to urgently address the problem.

The event will also include speeches outlining factual information on the various problems affecting the transport sector.

More than 250 trucks are expected to take part initially.

At present, the federation wants the government to urgently address the energy crisis arising from the fighting in the Middle East, as both price increases and fuel shortages are directly affecting the transport and logistics sectors.

It is therefore calling on the government to act urgently.

Among its proposals, diesel prices should be capped for at least 30 days to ease the burden on the public and reduce the impact on costs in the production and service sectors.

It also said the government should announce a temporary cancellation and suspension of exports of all refined petroleum products so that the country’s oil reserves remain sufficient and public confidence in domestic fuel availability is maintained in case the conflict in the Middle East becomes prolonged.

During a crisis like this, it added, the government should also suspend the collection of oil excise tax for at least three months and seek replacement revenue from other sources.

“In a crisis like this, the government should be willing to cut into its own flesh by temporarily waiving oil tax collection and turning to other sources of revenue instead. It should also use this opportunity to make pricing clearer and announce the situation and the appropriate price level to the public. There should be a stronger campaign for greater use of clean energy and less reliance on oil alone for the sake of sustainability.”

Thongyoo added that the federation had previously issued a statement calling on the government to act, but had so far received no response from the government or state agencies to review, reconsider, or jointly discuss these proposals.