EU delays debate on European tax

Fuente: Platts

European finance ministers failed to reach agreement Tuesday on a proposal to update EU energy taxes, according to the European Commission. “The Greek Presidency of the EU Council [which chaired Tuesday’s finance meeting] decided to postpone the energy tax debate to 18 February,” a Greek official told Platts Wednesday. “We postponed it because there are continuing discussions between France and Germany on diesel fuel,” the official confirmed. The EC floated the energy tax proposal in 1997, meant to broaden and bring up to date the energy tax directive agreed over ten years ago in 1992. The new proposal would apply new taxes to electricity and gas while lifting the minimum levels on oil products. However, Germany and France have not yet found agreement on French tax breaks for road hauliers and farmers, introduced as a result of high oil prices in 2000.