Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia's decision to raise Pertamax fuel prices is aimed at reducing fiscal pressure and preserving budget resilience after months of shielding consumers from higher global oil costs, a National Energy Council (DEN) member said.”The government held back for some time and is now releasing prices because this concerns fiscal resilience,” DEN member Satya Widya Yudha said in Bogor on Wednesday.Yudha said the government and state energy company Pertamina had frozen non-subsidized fuel prices since March 2026 despite rising global crude prices.The policy was intended to cushion consumers from energy market volatility linked to geopolitical tensions involving the United States, Israel and Iran.However, maintaining the price cap became increasingly costly as the government absorbed widening gaps between domestic and market prices.Yudha said Pertamax's increase of more than 30 percent, from Rp12,300 to Rp16,250 per liter, reflected the scale of costs previously borne by the state.”The difference reached thousands of rupiah per liter and was multiplied by millions of liters consumed,” he said.He added that restoring market-based pricing for non-subsidized fuels was necessary to align domestic prices with global crude oil movements.At the same time, the government remains committed to protecting purchasing power by maintaining prices for subsidized fuels, including Pertalite and Biosolar.”While prices are rising globally, the government continues to maintain subsidized fuel prices. Consumers should therefore improve efficiency in fuel use,” Yudha said.Pertamina Patra Niaga said prices effective June 10 raised Pertamax to Rp16,250 (US$0.91) per liter from Rp12,300 (US$0.69), while Pertamax Green increased to Rp17,000 (US$0.95) from Rp12,900 (US$0.72). Other fuel prices remain unchanged.