Dutch transport companies are increasingly turning to illegal imports of cheap foreign diesel, with investigators uncovering cases of fuel being smuggled into the country in hidden tanks and even traded on the domestic market. The practice, revealed in research by Dutch broadcaster BNR, goes beyond individual truckers filling up across the border and involves organised efforts to bypass the Netherlands' high fuel taxes.
According to the investigation, some haulage firms are filling separate tanks fitted to their trucks while abroad, then using that fuel to supply their entire fleet once back in the Netherlands. In one case, a company was found to have an employee whose sole job was to transfer foreign-bought fuel into other vehicles throughout the working day. The resale of such diesel within the Dutch market is illegal under national and European fuel regulations.
Martin van Eijk of Drive, the Dutch trade association for petrol stations, said the practice is an unintended consequence of the country's position as the most expensive place in Europe to buy diesel. "Nowhere in Europe is diesel as expensive as in the Netherlands. This is an unintended consequence of that," he told BNR. The Netherlands has long maintained some of the highest excise duties on fuel in the European Union, a policy that has pushed both private motorists and commercial operators to seek cheaper alternatives abroad.
The revelations come amid growing public concern over fuel costs. A separate survey by the ANWB motoring association found that nearly three-quarters of Dutch motorists say high fuel prices are affecting their household finances. Of those surveyed, 56 percent said they are saving less, 43 percent are eating out less often, and 40 percent are cutting back on holidays and day trips. The ANWB has called for an end to the annual indexation of fuel excise duties, arguing that the current system makes driving unnecessarily expensive and undermines the affordability of mobility for the majority of households that still rely on petrol or diesel vehicles.
The Dutch government has defended its fuel taxation policy as a tool for environmental policy and revenue generation, but critics argue it is creating perverse incentives. The illegal diesel trade not only deprives the state of tax revenue but also undercuts legitimate fuel retailers, who must compete with prices that do not include Dutch excise duties. Drive, the petrol station association, has urged authorities to step up enforcement at borders and at company premises to curb the practice.
The issue is expected to remain high on the political agenda as the cost-of-living pressures continue. With the Netherlands leading Europe in fuel excise rates, and with the government showing little sign of reversing its indexation policy, the economic incentive for hauliers to source cheaper fuel abroad shows no sign of disappearing. For now, the authorities face a growing challenge in policing a trade that thrives on the very price gap created by national tax policy.