Table A: Environment Taxes by Type | |||||
€m | |||||
Type | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
Energy | 3,043 | 3,135 | 3,258 | 3,176 | 3,016 |
Transport | 1,887 | 1,924 | 1,929 | 1,917 | 1,977 |
Pollution and Resource | 47 | 58 | 46 | 26 | 20 |
Total | 4,977 | 5,117 | 5,232 | 5,119 | 5,013 |
Annual % change | 6.3% | 2.8% | 2.2% | -2.2% | -2.1% |
% of total taxes | 8.4% | 8.2% | 7.9% | 7.2% | 6.5% |
€5.0 billion of environment related taxes were collected in 2019, a drop of 2.1% on 2018. This is the second successive year where environment related taxes have decreased. The main reason for this fall in taxes paid relates to a decrease in the Public Service Obligation levy, mainly associated with an increased negative R-factor, a higher benchmark price and the expiry of the Peat PSO Scheme during 2019. Meanwhile, energy taxes (mainly taxes on transport fuels) accounted for 60% of total environment taxes in 2019 with another 39% coming from Transport taxes (including motor tax and vehicle registration tax).
An environment tax is defined by Regulation (EU) 691/2011 as: "A tax whose tax base is a physical unit (or a proxy of a physical unit) of something that has a proven, specific negative impact on the environment, and which is identified in the European System of Accounts as a tax." |