The European Commission has published a study on the impact of energy taxation in the enlarged EU, examining how implementation of European energy taxation policies affect Member States.
According to the study, Member States would benefit from common energy and carbon taxation policies on the basis that the revenues generated would allow reduced social security contributions from employers. This would apparently generate jobs and boost the economy.
The report also finds that a common EU carbon tax would be the most economical way of achieving the goals of European climate policy, although the study does concede that such a carbon tax would impact on the competitiveness of energy intensive industries.
The study is available on the website of the Directorate General for Taxation and Customs Union.