Environmental Factors and Health

Appendix 2
Overview of economic instruments in Denmark (taxes, fees, etc.)1

Name and Type of Instru- ment

Purpose

Tax base

Tax rates 1999

Environ- mental media

Economic sector

Product tax/charge

Energy taxes

Fiscal and environ- mental

 

In total 43-63 DKK/GJ for fossil fuels.

0-2 DKK/GJ on rene- wables.

Climate

Transport, house- holds

Motor vehicles

Fiscal and environ- mental

One time registration plus annual vehicle tax

About 65% of the consumer price for an average car are taxes (import price DKK 80,000, consumer price DKK 230,000)

Air

Transport, house- holds

Vehicle fuels

Fiscal, fuel import control, environ- mental

Tax/litre of the various types of fuels (quantity)

About 50% of the consumer price of petrol. (DKK 3.8 of a final consumer price of DKK 7)

Air, climate

Transport, house- holds

Tap water

Environ- mental

Tax/m3 water

In 1998 about 5 DDK/m3, consumers only.

Surface and ground water

Manu- facturing, house- holds

Retail con- tainers

Environ- mental

Tax/kilo (weight) and tax/litre (volume)

Different tax types and systems.

Soil and ground water

House- holds

Dis- posable table- ware

Environ- mental

Tax per value of products

33% of the whole sale price, corre- sponding to 50% of the price exclusive of VAT.

Soil and ground water

House- holds

CFC tax

Environ- mental

Tax/kilo (weight)

30 DDK/kilo

Air

Manu- facturing

Chlori- nated solvents

Environ- mental

Tax/kilo (weight)

2 DKK/kilo, corres- ponding to about a 25% increase in the consumer price.

Air

Manu- facturing

Phtha- lates

Environ- mental

Tax/kilo (weight)

2 DKK/kilo

Air, soil, waste, wastewater

Manu- facturing

PVC

Environ- mental

Tax/kilo (weight)

3,50 DKK/kilo

Air, soil, waste, waste- water

Manu- facturing

Pesti- cides

Environ- mental

Tax/retail price of the various types of pesti- cides

Agri- cultural pesticides: 33.33% on the retail price exclusive of taxes.

Insecti- cides: 53.85% of the retail price, exclusive of taxes.

Other biocides and micro- biological plant protection products: 3.1% of the retail price, exclusive of taxes

Soil and ground- water

Agri- culture

Growth pro- moters

Animal well-being

Tax/gram (weight)

The tax implies that production costs per porker or piglet will increase about 4 DKK.

Soil and ground- water

Agri- culture

Lead Accumu- lators

Environ- mental

Fee/ accumulator

DKK 12-24, refund DKK 0,8/kg

Soil and ground- water

Households and industry

NiCd bat- teries

Environ- mental

Tax/ battery

The tax is 6 DKK/ battery, and the refund is 150 DKK/ kilo returned batteries.

Soil and ground- water

House- holds

Effluent tax/charge

CO2

Environ- mental

Tax/ emitted CO2

100 DKK/ ton emitted CO2. It is differen- tiated to ensure that all energy types become liable to a tax that corre- sponds to this level.

Air

Agriculture, energy, manufac- turing, house- holds

SO2

Environ- mental

Tax/sulphur content in fuels or tax/kilo sulphur emitted

Different options.

Air

Agriculture, energy, manufac- turing, house- holds

Waste and raw mate- rials

Environ- mental

Tax/kilo of various types of waste and raw materials.

Raw materials: 5 DKK/m3.
Waste for landfills: DKK 375/tons.
Waste for incine- ration: 280-330 DKK/tons.

Soil and ground water

Manufac- turing, house- holds

Sewage tax

Environ- mental

Tax/kilo of various types of sub- stances

The tax rates for the substances nitrogen, phos- phorus, and organic substances are DKK/kg: 20, 110, and 11 respec- tively.

Water

Manufac- turing, house- holds

User fees

Water supply and sewage

Cost- recovery, environ- mental

Connection fee, admini- strative fee, and a tap water fee

Connection fees amount to DKK 30,000 and 50,000 for sewage and water respec- tively. Average annual fees of 11.5 and 4 DKK/m3 for sewage and water respec- tively.

Water

Manufac- turing, house- holds

Waste

Cost- recovery, environ- mental

Fee/ household fee and a tap water fee

Average hazardous waste user fee is DKK 2,500 per tons.

Soil and groundwater

Manufac- turing, house- holds

Road toll

Cost recovery

Tax/truck (various types of trucks)

Heavy duty vehicles: DKK 5.5 and DKK 9.2.

 

Transport

Deposit refund

Bottles

Environ- mental

Deposit/ bottle

DKK/ container: 1.25 – 4, depending on i.e. the size of the container.

Soil and ground water

House- holds

1 Report: Economic Instruments in Environmental Protection in Denmark, the Danish Energy Agency, 1999.