Ecological Steering with Value-Added Tax and Taxes on Consumption ; Mit der Mehrwertsteuer und mit Verbrauchsteuern ökologisch lenken

Abstract

The current design of the German Value Added Tax (VAT) sets several ecological disincentives. In particular, the VAT reduction for meat and animal products should be abolished and changed to the regular rate of 19%. The expected changes in consumption would save up to 6 million t / year of greenhouse gas emissions, create further positive environmental impacts, and generate additional tax revenues of €2-5 billion / year. To avoid social hardship, the reduced VAT rate for plant-based foods could be reduced to 5%. Furthermore, the value-added tax for labor services of energy retrofits should be reduced to 7%: This could lead to greenhouse gas emission savings of 1 million t/year of reduced VAT as well as additional employment and value-added impulses with simultaneous tax losses of €1.2 billion/year. In addition, minor repairing should be promoted with the reduced VAT rate. Furthermore, donations in kind by companies (e.g. inventories, returns) can be exempted from VAT to avoid destruction of usable goods. The ongoing reform process of the EU VAT Directive, which provides the framework for the admissibility of reduced rates, should be used to create room for maneuver for a more extensive greening of VAT. It seems well suited to promote the most environmentally friendly products and services in various market segments with a reduced rate. Additionally, it could be used to allow for a reduced rate for the repair of consumer goods such as electrical and electronic equipment and furniture. Taxes on consumption (or "excise duties") are another starting point for greening con-sumption. In the German financial constitutional law, taxes on consumption are narrowly defined. They must regularly apply to "goods for permanent use". Options for taxes on consumption with intended ecological effects are, for example, a tax on the consumption of cement (coupled with carbon contracts for differences for largely climate-neutral cement), the exemption of sustainable coffee from coffee tax and a tax on carrier bags. Other economic ...