3/4 of EU Eco-Taxes Fall on Energy: Eurostat

As world leaders from almost 170 countries meet on April 22 to sign the Paris Climate Agreement that was reached last December in the French capital, a note from the EU's statistical agency Eurostat reveals that in 2014 more than three-quarters of environmental taxes in the EU were on energy.

Environmental taxes in the EU amounted to €343.6bn in 2014, compared with €282bn in 2004, Eurostat revealed on April 22.

Breaking down that €343.6bn in 2014, taxes on energy represented 76.5% of total environmental taxes, followed by transport 19.9% and those on pollution and resources 3.6%. However Eurostat told NGE it has no breakdown available for how those energy taxes are imposed by primary fuel-type, such as on oil, on gas, or on coal.

Energy taxes were particularly prominent in Lithuania (93.8%), Czech Republic (92.6%) and Luxembourg (92.2%) in 2014. They were lowest in Malta (54.8%) and the Netherlands (56.8%). Among the larger economies, Germany (83.7%), Italy (82.2%) and France (79.3%) were above the EU average, whereas the UK (72.5%) was lower. So too was non-EU Norway (52.2%) which was not included in the overall EU figure.

The share of environmental taxes in total EU revenues from taxes and social contributions from 6.8% in 2004 to 6.3% in 2014. 

 Mark Smedley