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In 2015, Finnish Customs collected taxes to the state in the amount of 10.4 billion euros

Publication date 17.3.2016 8.30
Press release

In 2015, Finnish Customs collected taxes and charges up to an approximate total amount of 10.4 billion euros, i.e. 25.9 percent of collected state taxes and impositions of a like nature. The amount was approximately 113.5 million euros and 1.1 percent larger than the previous year.

The largest tax revenues in 2015

Excise   duty on liquid fuels

2.91   billion €

Import   VAT      

2.35   billion €

Excise   duty on electricity and certain fuels     

1.40   billion €

Excise   duty on alcoholic beverages

1.36   billion €

Car   tax             

877   million €

 Excise duties and similar payments

 

2015

2014

Changes %

Excise duty on   alcoholic beverages
  (billion €)          

1.36

1.39

-2,7

Tobacco duty
  (million €)

880

785

12.2

Liquid fuels
  (billion €)

2.91

2.87

1.5

Electricity and   certain fuels
  (billion €)

1.40

1.24

12.4

Excise duty: sweets,   ice cream and soft drinks
  (million €)        

250

257

-2.7

Excise duty on alcoholic beverages was collected less than the previous year. The reduction in revenue was due to the decrease in consumption in all beverage groups.    

The growth ofthe amount of Tobacco duty was due to the effects the tax increases over consecutive years have had on the distribution of the release of goods for consumption during different years.

The increase in excise duties on liquid fuels was due to the increased consumption of heating fuel as well as the increased carbon dioxide tax. The consumption of liquid fuels used in traffic stayed practically the same.

Regarding electricity and certain fuels, the increase in revenue was due to the tax increase on electricity used by other than the industry, and the increased taxes on coal and natural gas.

The decrease in revenue through excise duty on sweets, ice cream and soft drinks was due to the decreased consumption of sugar containing soft drinks, liquid beverages and ice-cream.

Car tax

About 877 million euros in car taxes was collected in 2015, which is about 33 million euros or some 3.6 percent less than in 2014.

The average CO2-emissions of new passenger cars taxed in 2015 were 123.6 g/km (emissions of petrol-driven cars were 122.7 g/km and those of diesel-driven cars were 125.4 g/km). The CO2-emissions decreased by about 3.2 percent from 2014.

Customs duties, VAT and shipping dues

 

2015

2014

Change %

Customs duties and   similar taxes
  (million €)        

165

170

-2.5

Import VAT
  (billion €)

2,35

2,39

-1.8

Shipping dues
  (million €)        

45

87

-48.2

Customs duties and similar taxes as well as the value added tax revenues on imports, decreased from the previous year. The reimbursement received by Finland of the expenses for collecting EU resources was about 41.4 million euros.

The amount of shipping dues collected decreased by 48.2 percent from 2014. This was due to the decrease in shipping dues by fifty percent.

Back taxes

The amount of levied customs duties left unpaid in 2015 was approximately 14 million euros. As customs’ levy in 2015 was a total of 10.4 billion euros, the share of tax arrears was about 0.13 percent of total tax levies. In 2014 the amount was approximately 11 million euros and the tax arrears were 0.11 percent.

Finnish Customs carries out the taxation of goods. This is natural, as Customs supervises the flow of all goods to protect society, the environment and the citizens.

Customs uses a significant amount of resources on controls in advance (authorisations and their conditions), on physical warehouse controls as well as warehouse inventory. Excessive indebtedness can be prevented effectively if the customer’s risks become too great. Customs investigates shadow economy and economic crime connected to the taxation of goods and is also a key operator in cross border crime prevention connected to the taxation of goods.

All the issues mentioned above bear relevance to the amount of back tax levied by Customs being on a relatively low level.

Further information:

Saija Taipale, Director of Excise (excise duties), tel. +358 (0) 40 332 1231
Tapio Rouhiainen, Director of Car Taxation (car tax), tel. +358 (0) 40 332 8439
Olli Tuomisto, Senior Customs Officer (customs duties, VAT, shipping dues), tel. +358 (0) 40 332 2752
Tom Ferm, Director of Customer Relations and Tax Collection, tel. +358 (0) 40 332 2622

Media release