The review now has an expert's seconding. Energy expert Johnston Chikwanda has welcomed the Government's plan to revisit the Energy Regulation Board's monthly fuel-pricing mechanism, telling ZNBC in an interview aired at the weekend that frequent price changes make it difficult for households and businesses to plan. He said Zambia should study how other countries manage reviews over longer periods — the same conclusion President Hichilema reached publicly on Friday, when he opened the 14th National Assembly and announced that the ERB's monthly pricing mechanism would be reviewed as part of establishing a secure, predictable and efficient petroleum-supply system.
On the tax question, Chikwanda sided with the Treasury. Restoring excise duty from October was necessary, he said, because the Government could not continue losing substantial revenue through waivers; the April-to-September suspension of excise duty and VAT on petrol and diesel had done its cushioning work but at a fiscal cost. Consumers still have one relief running: VAT on fuel remains suspended until December, a continuation Chikwanda said would see the Government forego a further US$120 million in revenue over that period.
The backdrop is the steepest single adjustment of the waiver era. The ERB's 30 September review restored excise duty and pushed petrol to K31.46 a litre (from K25.29) and diesel to K33.27 (from K26.86) — rises of almost a quarter in one step, driven by higher international prices, a kwacha that slipped from K19.28 to K19.76 to the dollar over the review period, and the tax's return. Bus fares followed upward on Friday, as this newspaper reported yesterday. The President's Friday address added two more pieces: government institutions will from now on acquire only electric vehicles — "Personally, I don't like it," he said of the monthly mechanism — with charging infrastructure to be built with the private sector, and the TAZAMA open-access pipeline system is to be strengthened.
What the review will actually change is not yet written. No date, terms of reference or preferred interval — two months, three months, or something else — has been announced; the details are expected through the Ministry of Energy and the 2027 Budget. What is dated is VAT: under the current statutory instruments it returns to fuel on 1 December, which would add a second tax line to the pump price unless the Treasury extends the relief again.
Sources: Zambia 24, “Expert Says Monthly Fuel Price Changes Hurt Planning” (11 Oct 2026); Lusaka Times, “Govt. Restores Excise Duty On Fuel” (9 Oct 2026).