Gas, diesel prices see decrease despite top-up to retail markup tax
Posted May 29, 2026 05:24:50 AM.
Last Updated May 29, 2026 11:13:28 AM.
The Nova Scotia Energy Board approved an interim increase to the amount retailers charge for fuel, raising the built-in tax by 1.7 cents on Friday.
The move follows a request from the Retail Gasoline Dealers Association (RGDA), which applied to the board in April for an interim adjustment and review of the current retail markup, as well as an update to the credit card adjuster.
With the provincial regulator’s approval, the total retail markup tax jumps from 5.4 cents to 7.1 cents per litre, as of Friday.
The approval by the NSEB is intended to help gas and diesel retailers cope with “cost pressures and margin erosion.”
The credit card usage rate is also rising from 40 to 57 per cent after fuel retailers stated that the number of people paying by credit card has jumped, thus increasing the corresponding charges issued by credit card companies.
According to the NSEB, the increases will remain in effect until the board completes a formal investigation into the province’s retail markup structure and issues a further order.
Despite the changes, fuel prices in Nova Scotia still fell on Friday as the NSEB made its weekly adjustments.
As of midnight, the minimum price per litre of regular self-serve gas dropped by 7.2 cents overall to 178.4.
Diesel prices fell to 206.0 cents per litre, which is a decrease of just over 12 cents.
