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Taxing transport

Effective tax rates on transport fuel use

By Economist.com

FUEL for transport use is taxed more heavily in the rich world than fuel for heating or electricity. According to a new report from the OECD, a think-tank, the effective tax rate on energy for transport use is $15 per gigajoule compared with only $1.20 for other fuels. In the average OECD country transport accounts for 23% of total energy use and 27% of emissions, however it make up some 85% of total excise tax revenue from energy products. Effective tax rates on transport fuels vary both within the OECD and by fuel type. On average diesel is taxed at a lower rate than petrol. Litre for litre diesel has around 10% more combustion energy content than petrol, but it also produces some 18% more CO2 emissions than petrol.

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