3.2.3. Evolution of income for Special Taxes

In 2018, revenue from excise taxes grew by 1.1 percent. The growth was mainly due to the 3 percent increase in revenue from the Hydrocarbon Tax, part of which was due to the extraordinary refunds for tax adjustments made in December 2017. Gross revenues grew by only 1.9 percent, a similar growth to that recorded by consumption of gasoline and diesel for motor vehicles. In addition, in recent months the slight negative impact of RDL 15/2018 was added. Revenue from the Electricity Tax also increased by 3.5 percent. Since May, increases in taxes have been observed (partly due to the problems that had occurred at that time a year earlier), but, given the low dynamism of consumption, growth was only consolidated when, from September onwards, the price increases of the central months of the year became noticeable in revenues. The tax on beer also registered a slight increase (1.8 percent). In the rest of the figures, income was lower than in 2017. The tax on tobacco products fell by 1.4 percent, with sharp fluctuations over the months. Net revenue from this tax in 2018 is the lowest since 2007. The Coal Tax fell more sharply (-13.1 percent), although the decline is explained by the abnormally high revenues it had in 2017, due to the use of coal as a substitute in the generation of electricity during the dry months. Finally, in the Tax on Alcohol and derived beverages, revenues fell by 2.2 percent, also partly due to the high amounts collected at the beginning of 2017 due to the accumulation of revenues linked to a previous episode of hoarding.