New figures show €5.1 billion was collected in environment-related taxes last year – an increase of 15% on 2022, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) today (Thursday, December 19).
But according to the CSO the share of environment taxes levied on the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector remained “fairly steady” between 2014 and 2023 at just over 1%.
This represented a €55 million contribution by the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector to the €5.1 billion collected in environment-related taxes in 2023.
Energy taxes, which include taxes on transport fuels, represented 63% of all environment-related taxes in 2023.
Excise duty on “hydrocarbon oils” – which includes petrol, road diesel, and marked gas oil (green diesel) – accounted for 50% of energy tax receipts.
CSO
According to Clare O’Hara, statistician in the CSO environment division, the rise in environment taxes last year followed a drop in 2022, when environment taxes were €4.4 billion, the lowest value between 2014 and 2023.
O’ Hara said: “The decrease in 2022 was due to a temporary reduction in excise duty on fuels introduced in April 2022.
“The increase in environment taxes in 2023 resulted mainly from new windfall taxes in the energy sector, higher carbon tax, and a rise in vehicle registration tax receipts.”
The new energy taxes included in the CSO Environment Taxes 2023 report encompassed the Cap on Market Revenues (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) tax, the Temporary Solidarity Contribution (Windfall Gains in the Energy Sector) tax, and the Energy Congestion Charge.
The figures published today highlight that total energy taxes in 2023 were €3.2 billion with carbon tax receipts alone increasing by 16% to €932 million in 2023.
Meanwhile transport taxes last year totaled €1.9 billion , with vehicle registration tax and motor tax each accounting for 48% of transport taxes.
Pollution and resource taxes, including the plastic bag levy, amounted to €10 million in 2023.
The latest CSO statistics also underline that households across the country paid 60% of all environment taxes last year.
In 2023 households paid an estimated €3 billion in 2023 in environment taxes.
This compares to the services sector which paid €1.2 billion in environment taxes in 2023 and the industry sector which paid €779 million.