How to design environmental taxes?
Environmental tax bases should be targeted to the pollutant or polluting behaviour, with few (if
any) exceptions.
The scope of an environmental tax should ideally be as broad as the scope of the environmental
damage.
The tax rate should be commensurate with the environmental damage.
The tax must be credible and its rate predictable in order to motivate environmental
improvements.
Environmental tax revenues can assist fiscal consolidation or help to reduce other taxes.
Distributional impacts can, and generally should, be addressed through other policy instruments.
Competitiveness concerns need to be carefully assessed; coordination and transitional relief can
be effective responses.
Clear communication is critical to public acceptance of environmental taxation.
Environmental taxes may need to be combined with other policy instruments to address certain
issues.
The rest of this guide develops these points in greater detail.