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Fact #496: November 19, 2007
Diesel Prices in the U.S. and Selected Countries: Cost and Taxes

The Energy Information Administration compiles diesel prices from selected European countries to compare with U.S. diesel prices. Since 1997, the United Kingdom had the highest diesel prices. The U.S. had the lowest prices for every year in the data series. In 2007, taxes accounted for only 15% of the price of diesel fuel in the U.S. – down from 37% in 1997. The United Kingdom had the highest tax share of the listed countries; three-quarters of the diesel fuel price in 1997 and 2002 was attributed to taxes.

Supporting Information

Diesel Taxes and Cost, 1997, 2002, and 2007

	Belgium	France	Germany	Italy	Netherlands	United Kingdom	United States
	1997
Diesel Cost	1.06	0.82	0.96	0.99	1.05	0.91	0.73
Diesel Taxes	1.45	1.67	1.48	1.82	1.61	2.61	0.43
Total Diesel Price	2.51	2.49	2.44	2.81	2.66	3.52	1.16
% Tax	58%	67%	61%	65%	61%	74%	37%
	2002
Diesel Cost	1.26	1.05	1.13	1.21	1.27	1.11	0.99
Diesel Taxes	1.64	1.96	2.09	2.05	1.78	3.39	0.45
Total Diesel Price	2.90	3.00	3.22	3.26	3.05	4.51	1.44
% Tax	57%	65%	65%	63%	58%	75%	31%
	2007
Diesel Cost	2.99	2.73	2.93	3.06	3.05	2.61	2.59
Diesel Taxes	2.76	3.25	3.54	3.32	2.99	4.80	0.45
Total Diesel Price	5.76	5.98	6.47	6.38	6.05	7.41	3.03
% Tax	48%	54%	55%	52%	50%	65%	15%
Source: European Commission, Oil Bulletin, and U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, Weekly Petroleum Status Report, October 2007, Table 16.

 

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