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Customs revenue in Germany is falling: a decline of 150 billion euros!
In Chorweiler, it is being analyzed how customs revenue fell in 2023. Important data on import sales tax and energy tax.
Customs revenue in Germany is falling: a decline of 150 billion euros!
Customs in Germany generated a total of 150.4 billion euros in revenue in 2023, but that is less than in the previous year, when it was 157.9 billion euros. A decline that, upon closer inspection, is primarily due to the reduced import sales tax. This tax is due when importing goods from third countries and made up a large part of customs revenue. In 2023, customs was only able to collect 73.5 billion euros here, after 78.8 billion euros in 2022, as Radio Köln reports.
But it's not just import sales tax that is showing a downward trend; Revenue from consumption taxes has also fallen. While there were still 62.4 billion euros in the coffers in 2022, in 2023 there were only 59.9 billion euros. The energy tax, which has to be paid when filling up with diesel and other fuels, played a central role here. It brought in 36.7 billion euros in 2023, making it the most important consumption tax in Germany.
A look at the numbers
The fronts are clear: The majority of the revenue from import sales tax and excise taxes flows directly into the federal government's coffers. In fact, these revenues are essential for financing various government tasks. In terms of excise taxes, the energy tax was the largest source of revenue at 35.1 billion euros, followed by other taxes specifically linked to the consumption of goods such as alcohol and tobacco.
A look at the data from 2014 to 2023 shows that the revenue from the various types of taxes has not only fluctuated in recent years, but also against the background of global economic developments. As striking as it may seem, the statistics once again illustrate how sensitive this income is to external influencing factors. This is also proven by the current figures published by the Federal Customs Administration.
In the future, it remains to be seen whether customs revenue will stabilize or whether the trend towards falling numbers will continue. Of course, the economic conditions are decisive for how these incomes develop. For citizens, this means that they should continue to pay attention to the pricing of imported goods and consumer goods.