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The German and European food systems are neither healthy nor sustainable. Too many animal-based and too few plant-based products are consumed. A corresponding adjustment of value-added taxes would benefit human health, the environment and the economy. Researchers have now published a comprehensive impact assessment.
Braunschweig (January 9, 2025). No value-added taxes (VAT) on fruit and vegetables, but increased VAT on meat and milk: This would have a positive effect on diet-related diseases, the environment, consumption and tax revenues, because food prices influence our buying behaviour. This is the conclusion of the research led by Dr. Marco Springmann, scientist at the University of Oxford, and Dr. Florian Freund, researcher at the Thünen-Institute for Market Analysis.
Reducing VAT on plant-based products and at the same time increasing VAT on animal-based products promises the most success. The projected consequences for Europe: The environmental impact would fall by six percent, for example, Germany would emit about ten million tons less carbon dioxide. This is roughly equivalent to Latvia's annual emissions. In addition, there would be 330 fewer diet-related deaths per one million people. In Germany, there would be 20,000 fewer deaths. Tax revenues would increase by 46 billion US dollars, in Germany by about seven billion US dollars. The costs to society from diseases and climate damage would fall by 37 billion US dollars, in Germany by about six billion US dollars. "In order to minimise conflicting goals between the economy, the environment and human health, VAT should be adjusted to both product groups, if possible," says Dr. Florian Freund.
Adjusted VAT would be a step towards more sustainable food systems. Lower taxes on plant-based products would improve the nutrition and health of the population. The environment and tax revenues would benefit from higher-taxed animal-based products. "If a more targeted tax such as the CO2-tax cannot be implemented, a reform of VAT could be an easier way to make food systems more sustainable," says Dr. Marco Springmann.
The European average VAT rate is eight percent for meat and milk and nine percent for fruit and vegetables. However, tax rates vary greatly from country to country. While hardly any taxes are levied on food in the United Kingdom, it is taxed with 25 percent in Denmark. More than half of the countries surveyed have similarly high taxes on animal-based and plant-based products. More than a third of the countries even charge significantly higher taxes on plant-based products. Also in Germany, the VAT on plant-based food is at just under nine percent and thus higher compared to animal-based foods, which are taxed at seven percent. A reform of VAT has already been discussed at the political level in Germany, but has not yet been approved.
Dr. Florian Freund
Thünen-Institute for Market Analysis
Phone: +49 531 2570 1359
E-mail: florian.freund@thuenen.de
Dr. Marco Springmann
Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford
Phone: +44 7460202512
E-mail: marco.springmann@ouce.ox.ac.uk
Marco Springmann, Eugenia Dinivitzer, Florian Freund, Jørgen Dejgård Jensen, Clara G Bouyssou: 'A reform of value-added taxes on foods can have health, environmental and economic benefits in Europe' in Nature Food, DOI: 10.1038/s43016-024-01097-5
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-024-01097-5
Projected impacts of adjusted value-added taxes for Germany and Europe
Thünen-Institute
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Projected impacts of adjusted value-added taxes for Germany and Europe
Thünen-Institute
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