European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday called for a reduction in electricity taxes in the European Union to enhance competitiveness and combat the cost of living crisis, LETA reported citing DPA.
“While energy costs are decreasing, taxes on it are rising again,” said von der Leyen while addressing the European Parliament in Strasbourg. “Look at the taxes our industry pays for electricity. These taxes are 15 times higher than the taxes on gas, and that should not be the case.”
She pointed out that, on average, industry in the EU pays an electricity tax of 34%, while households pay an average of 42%.
The head of the European Commission also called for additional investments to develop renewable energy production in EU countries.
“The lowest energy prices are in countries that produce a lot of energy with low carbon emissions, whether it’s solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, or nuclear,” said von der Leyen. “Let’s work together to reduce these taxes and enable our businesses and households to use electricity produced domestically rather than imported fuel.”
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