Fossil gasoline stays much less taxed than low carbon electrical energy | EUROtoday

This is one example among others of the difficulties in reconciling energy taxation and fighting against global warming. In its third multi -year energy programming project, the government has reaffirmed its commitment “To make France the primary main industrial nation to get out of fossil fuels”namely oil, gas and coal.

However, in the 2025 finance law promulgated Friday, February 14, the executive continues to tax more electricity more than gas. However, the electricity produced in the country is largely low carbon (95 % in 2024, a record), mainly thanks to nuclear, hydraulics, then wind and solar. Conversely, as consumed today, gas is still essentially fossil, and imported. The country’s gas consumption includes only a minimal part of biomethane, a renewable gas, produced on site from waste, particularly agricultural.

Take the same cleaning. If it consumes gas (heating, domestic hot water, cooking), it will be almost twice as taxed as if it uses electricity for these same uses. For the period from 1^er August 31 to December 31, the excise on gas-that is to say indirect consumption tax-will be 15.43 euros per megawatt hour (MWh). It is almost half as much as the excise on electricity for the “household and similar” category (29.98 euros). “In atypical legislation, the distinction in taxation between electrical energy and gasoline could appear an anachronism from an environmental viewpoint”concedes Matthieu Toret, founder of the Parisian law firm Enerlex, specializing in energy taxation.

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