5. Special Taxes

revenue from Special Taxes increased by 2.6%, totaling 20,757 million euros. The growth occurred thanks to the Tax on Non-Reusable Plastic Packaging, new in 2023. Eliminating the revenue from this tax (591 million), the total collection from Special Taxes in 2023 would be a little lower than in 2022 (-58 million) ( Table 5.1 ). By figures, revenue from the Hydrocarbon Tax increased by 0.6%, a result of the greater consumption of gasoline that compensated for the poor performance of the rest of the products. In the case of the Tax on Tobacco Products, revenues increased by 0.5% due to the significant increase in prices, both for cigarettes and other products, which made it possible to make up for the drop in consumption in both categories. The Electricity Tax registered a sharp decrease in income (-18%) explained by the decrease in prices and consumption, although its weight remained marginal in 2023 due to the extension of the 0.5% rate throughout the year. , effective from mid-September 2021. In the case of taxes on alcohol, revenue from the Tax on Alcohol and Derived Beverages (-9.8%) and the Tax on Intermediate Products (-11.3%) were reduced, while revenue from the Tax on Beer remained stable.

The value of consumption subject to Special Taxes decreased by 13.9%, after the strong increase recorded a year earlier (41.7%). The fall in the value of consumption in the components that have the most weight in the aggregate (gasoline, diesel and electricity) explains this result, which, in turn, derives from the sharp reduction in their prices from the high levels reached in 2022. . Added to this factor is the general decrease in subject consumption.

Indeed, in 2023 consumption of all products subject to Excise Taxes decreased ( Table 5.1 ), with the exception of gasoline. The falls in consumption of pure alcohol (-5.1%) and cigarettes (-4.1%) stand out, in both cases in a context of price increases. Electricity and fuel consumption also decreased, by 3.3% and 1.2% respectively. On the other hand, beer consumption remained stable.

Regarding prices, in energy, the average price of gasoline and diesel fuel fell by 12.5% ​​(17.1% before taxes; Table 9.1 ), in parallel with the evolution of the price of a barrel of oil in euros, which decreased by 21.4%. In electricity, the drop in the retail price was 19.7% (-18.4% before taxes, Table 5.7 ). It must be remembered, however, that, in both cases, the starting point was historical highs and that, despite these declines, prices remained at levels much higher than those prior to 2022.

In the rest of the prices, those of alcoholic beverages increased by 4.8% (7% before taxes, Table 5.2 ) and those of beer by 12.3% (13 % before taxes, Table 5.3 ). In tobacco products, the average retail price increased by 6% (10.6% before taxes, Table 9.2 ), registering increases in the average prices of both packs (5.9% the average retail price and 12.1% before taxes) as well as the rest of the tasks (8.8% the average retail price and 13.2% before taxes).

Regarding the effective rates ( Table 5.1 ), in 2023 there was no change in the legal rates (the reduction of the rate in the Tax on Electricity, from 5.11% to 0.5%, was already in force in 2022), so the only changes that were observed were those derived from variations in prices (when the tax is based on the value) or from the composition of consumption (if the base of the tax is physical consumption). In the first group are both the effective rate for a pack of tobacco (with an increase of 4.6%) and that for electricity (-17.4%). In the second, the increase in the effective rate of gasoline and diesel fuel stands out as a result of the growth of gasoline, taxed at a higher rate, and the fall of diesel fuel.

The Special Taxes accrued grew by 3% ( Table 5.1 ). This increase is explained by the entry into force in 2023 of the Special Tax on Non-Reusable Plastic Packaging. Without taking these incomes into account, there would have been a drop in accrued taxes of 0.3%. Taxes on Hydrocarbons, Tobacco Products and Beer remained at practically identical levels to those of 2022; the rest experienced significant decreases, especially the Electricity Tax.

The Hydrocarbon Tax barely increased by 0.1% ( Table 5.5 ), with large differences by product. The tax accrued on gasoline grew by 5.9%. The other products registered a fall, which in some cases was very significant, such as diesel at a reduced rate (-10%) and natural gas not used as fuel (-11.9%). The slight increase in accrued revenue occurs despite the fall in consumption as a whole (-1.2%) thanks to the increase in the effective rate derived from greater use of products taxed at higher rates.

The Tax on Tobacco Products accrued grew by 0.7% ( Table 5.6 ). The increase was greater in other tasks (4.1%), than in cigarettes (0.3%). This increase in the tax accrued occurred despite the fall in consumption (-3.2% for total, -4.1% for packs and -0.8% for other tasks) and driven, therefore, by the increase in average price before taxes (10.6% for the total, 12.1% for packs and 13.2% for the rest of the products).

The Tax accrued on Electricity was reduced by 20.1% ( Table 5.7 ) due to the decreasing trend in electricity consumption (-3.3%) and, above all, due to the considerable price reduction (-18.4% before taxes), in a context in which the rate reduction was extended throughout 2023.

The Tax on Alcohol and Derived Beverages fell by 5.1% in 2023 ( Table 5.2 ), in line with the drop in consumption, which could have been affected by the price increase before taxes (7%). For its part, the Beer Tax remained at levels almost the same as those of 2022 ( Table 5.3 ).

The Coal Tax resumed its downward trend, with a drop of 36.6% to 33 million, maintaining a residual role within the system.

The Special Tax on Non-Reusable Plastic Packaging, which came into force in 2023, contributed 663 million.

Collection from Special Taxes reached 20,757 million, being 2.6% higher than the 2022 figures. Its growth was lower than that of the tax accrued, among other elements, because the 2023 box only included 11 months of the accrual of the Special Tax on Non-Reusable Plastic Packaging, the first declarations of which were entered in February. Without this tax, revenue would have fallen by 0.3%.