Eurostat: Bulgaria is Among EU Countries with the Highest Environmental Taxes

Bulgaria is among the first five countries in the EU with the highest environmental taxes, according to data from Eurostat's analysis of the share of environmental taxes in total government revenue from taxes and social contributions in 2016.

Ecological taxes in our country account for a share of 9.6 per cent in total revenues from taxes and social contributions in 2016, with an average EU figure of 6.3 per cent. In addition, the collected eco taxes in Bulgaria in 2016 amounted to 1.334 billion euros. By comparison, in 2007, when our country became a full member of the EU, the amount of the collected eco taxes was about EUR 1 billion, or a 10-year increase of EUR 334 million, Eurostat data show.

For our country, the largest share of the collected environmental taxes is charged on energy taxes (including transport fuels) - about 75 per cent, with the remaining segments accounting for approximately 20 per cent of taxes on transport (excluding fuels) and about 5 per cent a hundred charges from environmental and resource pollution, Eurostat data show.

European statistics distinguish four different categories of environmental taxes: energy / all types of fuels for transport / import or sale of motor vehicles, registration of motor vehicles, etc., environmental and resource pollution. Eco taxes are increasingly being used to influence the behavior of economic operators, whether producers or consumers.