Monday, 03 MAY 2010 - CATEGORY : MARKET NEWS
A working document from the European Commission sheds light on the difficulties of introducing a carbon tax at the borders of the European Union.
The introduction of a European CO2 tax is generating plenty of column inches. Some say it would help protect Europe’s economy, while others insist that countries with less strict environmental policies would gain a commercial advantage if Brussels was to adopt more stringent rules on emissions.
"The administrative costs of the collection of this tax are exorbitant, as the system requires a host of different rates that vary according to the products and countries concerned ", the Commission states. "There is also a risk of the plan triggering a commercial war. Rival economic powers, such as China, will not hesitate to take retaliatory steps."
The introduction of a European CO2 tax is generating plenty of column inches. Some say it would help protect Europe’s economy, while others insist that countries with less strict environmental policies would gain a commercial advantage if Brussels was to adopt more stringent rules on emissions.
"The administrative costs of the collection of this tax are exorbitant, as the system requires a host of different rates that vary according to the products and countries concerned ", the Commission states. "There is also a risk of the plan triggering a commercial war. Rival economic powers, such as China, will not hesitate to take retaliatory steps."
TAGS : europe, carbon_tax
Wednesday, 07 APRIL 2010 - CATEGORY : MARKET NEWS
The carbon tax is being scrapped at national level, the French Prime Minister, François Fillon, has announced.This announcement has pleased the transport operators’ associations, including the FNTR (Fédération Nationale des Transports Routiers). “We have always maintained that the carbon tax made no sense unless applied Europe-wide”, commented Nicolas Paulissen, the assistant chief executive of the FNTR. “The argument used for the scrapping of this tax is the same one we used to argue against it.” The argument concerned is Europe. “This levy should be applied at European level so as not to stifle the competitiveness of French companies”, was how the head of the French government put it.
By way of a reminder, the carbon tax was set to come into force on 1 July 2010. The plan was that road, waterway and maritime transportation would all be subject to the tax, but that they would benefit from tax exemption to the tune of 35%.
