Environment tax take rose to €5bn including €350m in windfall taxes
Tax Were Which €932m Carbon By Receipts Energy All 2023, Transport 63% On While Taxes Taxes, Fuels, In Related Increased Taxes Environment To Include Of 16%
Energy companies paid €350m in temporary windfall taxes last year.
The State imposed a windfall tax on profits made by energy companies as a result of the surge in wholesale gas prices as a result of the war in Ukraine.
New data from the CSO shows the windfall tax resulted in a surge in overall environment taxes last year, jumping 15% to €5.1bn compared to 2022.
Energy taxes, which include taxes on transport fuels, were 63% of all environment-related taxes in 2023, while carbon tax receipts increased by 16% to €932m.
Transport taxes, which include motor tax and vehicle registration tax, accounted for 37% of environment-related taxes last year.
CSO Environment Division statistician Clare O'Hara said the rise followed a drop in 2022, when environment taxes were €4.4bn.
"The decrease in 2022 was due to a temporary reduction in excise duty on fuels introduced in April 2022," she said.
"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."
As a percentage of total taxes, environment taxes were 4.4% in 2023, down from 8% in 2014.
Households paid €3bn in environment taxes in 2023 while pollution and resource taxes, such as the plastic bag levy, made up 0.2% of environment-related taxes in 2023.
"The services sector paid €1.2bn in environment taxes in 2023, or 24% of the total, while the industry sector paid €0.8bn, or a 15% share," Ms O'Hara said.
"Environment taxes paid by the industry sector rose 91% in 2023 due to two new temporary windfall taxes on the energy sector.
"The share of environment taxes levied on the agriculture, forestry and fishing sector remained fairly steady between 2014 and 2023 at just over 1%."