Opposition leader Sali Berisha accused the government of high taxes and the high price of diesel. He warned that he would submit protective laws to Parliament. "The Transparency Board decided this weekend to increase the price of diesel again, while the government's decision to reduce the excise tax by 20% has also been activated. According to the Board's decision, one liter of diesel will be sold in the retail market for 224 lekë, up from 218 lekë previously, an increase of 6 lekë. This is the final price after the excise tax reduction has been applied. However, the Ministry of Finance states that if the excise tax had not been reduced, the retail price of diesel would have been 233 lekë, or 9 lekë more than the price set this Friday. Meanwhile, the byproduct gasoline will be sold at the same unchanged price of 181 lekë per liter. Gas was not part of the decision-making in this meeting, meaning its price may fluctuate based on market operators. The prices set by the Board will come into force from this Friday at 8:00 PM and will be valid until the next board meeting, where changes in selling prices will be reflected. Prior to the price increase, the Ministry of Finance also approved the normative act for reducing the excise tax by 20% this Friday. It was also announced that any fluctuation of diesel above 220 lekë will trigger the application of the excise tax reduction, and this decision will also apply to gasoline if it exceeds the price of 200 lekë per liter. Besides the excise tax, three other taxes are applied to 1 liter of diesel. The element that adds the most fiscal burden is the circulation tax of 27 lekë per liter. The excise tax is fixed at 3 lekë, and there is a carbon tax of 3 lekë. On top of these, VAT is calculated, which is 20% on the final price," said Berisha.