Bangkok: Thai people are feeling the impact of rising diesel prices, which have surged to 47.79 baht per liter, prompting calls for government action to alleviate the burden. Associate Professor Dr. Ath Pisalvanich, an expert in international and ASEAN economics, shared these insights on the Good Morning ASEAN program on MCOT News FM 100.5, highlighting the strain on Thai citizens compared to other ASEAN countries. According to Thai News Agency, the price hike is significant when compared to neighboring countries. In Vietnam, for instance, diesel prices recently dropped to 43 baht per liter after the government reduced taxes to zero. In contrast, Thailand now holds the highest diesel prices in the region. The Thai government has formed a committee to review fuel costs, with conclusions expected by mid-April. The focus will be on refining costs, transportation expenses, and ex-refinery prices. Dr. Ath emphasized that the refining margin, a key factor in the price surge, has drastically increased, reaching 14 baht per liter in early April. This is significantly higher than in Malaysia and Indonesia, where the margin remains below 2 baht per liter. A reduction of the refining margin to 3-4 baht could potentially reduce diesel prices by about 4 baht per liter. Furthermore, the current refinery price in Thailand is substantially higher than the refined oil price in Singapore, with a notable difference of 11 baht per liter. Dr. Ath suggests that reducing this disparity by at least 5 baht could better reflect the actual cost. He also pointed out that oil prices have a direct impact on the cost of living, unlike investment commodities like gold. Dr. Ath proposed reducing the excise tax on fuel by 5 baht per liter for three months to provide short-term relief. If combined with reductions in refining costs and premiums, diesel prices could potentially decrease by over 10 baht, reaching around 33 baht per liter. Despite the ongoing subsidy from the Fuel Fund, which keeps prices from soaring above 60 baht per liter, ther e is an urgent need for temporary tax reductions to ease the economic strain on the public during volatile energy price periods.