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Taxes exceed half of the cost of fuel in the European Union.

These levies are partly to blame for the recent rise in fuel prices.

Carbon taxes make Germany one of the countries with the steepest price increases.

Fuel costs have soared across the European Union this month, but it’s not just the Iranian conflict that’s to blame.

In addition to the market price hikes triggered by the clashes, fiscal pressures are also having a significant impact, exacerbating the situation in many countries, including Germany.

Gasoline and diesel prices have risen significantly in Europe since the U.S. and Israeli military operation against Iran began in late February.

However, the rising cost of crude oil is not the only factor behind the price increase, as fiscal charges account for a significant share of the final cost at gas stations across the continent.

Taxation accounts for more than 50% of fuel bills and explains why car owners pay more in some EU member states than in others, Euronews reported in its Friday edition.

While the price of a barrel of Brent has passed $100, these fees – such as VAT, excise duties and other special charges – determine the final amount in each case.

These fees account for 52.1 percent of the price of standard Eurosuper 95 gasoline and 44.5 percent of the EU average diesel price, according to fuel data collected by the European Commission.

The minimum share of taxes was recorded in Bulgaria, Spain and Hungary – 43.9, 45 and 45.2% respectively, while the maximum share was recorded in Finland, Ireland and Slovenia – 57.2, 57.3 and 57.8% .

In 20 EU member states, the total share of taxes exceeds 50% of the cost of gasoline. Italy leads among the major economies of the Union with 55% , followed by Germany and France with 54.5% and 53% .

The authors of the analysis note that tax rates differ for gasoline and diesel, and the burden of taxation for the latter category is generally lower – an average of 44.6% across the EU.

Taxes account for less than 40% of the price of diesel in four countries – Estonia (37.6% ), Spain (38% ), Sweden (38.5% ) and Bulgaria (39.7% ) – and more than 50% in Slovenia (50.1% ), Ireland (50.6% ), Italy (51.1% ) and Malta (54.3% ).

The pre-fiscal shares in the cost of fuel vary significantly between EU members, which also affects the final prices. However, a high tax percentage does not always translate into an equally high final price, as can be seen in Slovenia, where the gasoline tax rate is the highest, but the price is not the highest.

According to Eurostat, the average price of gasoline in the EU including taxation was 1.84 euros per liter as of March 16 (approximately $2.21 at current exchange rates).

Eurosuper 95 was the most expensive in the Netherlands (2.26), Denmark (2.18) and Germany (2.09), while the most affordable in Bulgaria (1.33), Malta (1.34), Cyprus (1.42) and Slovenia (1.44).

The highest diesel prices were recorded in the Netherlands (2.26), Denmark (2.21), Germany (2.15), Finland (2.11) and Italy (2.03), while the lowest were in Malta (1.21), Bulgaria (1.44) and Slovenia (1.48). The average cost across the EU was 1.95 per liter ($2.24 at the time of writing).