OSLO, March 30, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Norway will temporarily slash its taxes on petrol and diesel to counter rising prices as the Middle East war disrupts global energy supplies, the government said Monday.

As of April 1, the tax on petrol will be reduced by 4.41 kroner ($0.41) per litre and that on diesel by 2.85 kroner ($0.29) per litre, the government said in a statement.

Parliament voted in favour of a reduction on March 26, even though the government opposed the move and ended up in the minority on the issue as one of the five parties in the coalition government -- the Centre -- voted with the opposition.

"Budget agreements are made to be respected," Finance Minister Jens Stoltenberg, of the Labour Party which opposed the move, told public broadcaster NRK.

"We need to sit down around the table with our partners and make sure this kind of situation doesn't happen again," he said.

The tax cuts also apply to mineral oils used in fishing and hunting, the government said.

Parliament estimated the tax cut would cost around 6.3 billion kroner.

Norway, Europe's biggest oil and gas producer after Russia, has the highest number of electric vehicles per capita in the world, representing around 32 percent of the country's car fleet in December 2025.

Diesel cars accounted for 31.8 percent of the fleet, compared to 23.9 percent for petrol cars and 12.6 for various hybrids.