SUBSCRIBE to the Fact of the Week
Gasoline taxes in the United States were just under 30% of the price of a gallon of gasoline in 1990, and by 2015 taxes accounted for 19% - the lowest of the countries shown. Besides taxes, there are other cost components included in the price of gasoline, such as the cost of crude oil, refining, marketing and distribution. For France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, taxes comprised more than half of the total price for both of the years shown - 1990 and 2015. Japan's gasoline taxes were nearly half of the price in those years. In Canada, taxes were just above one-third of the price of gasoline in 2015, down from 40% in 1990. These are average prices and taxes collected by the International Energy Agency.
Gasoline Prices and Taxes for Selected Countries, 1990 and 2015
Supporting Information
| Canada | France | Germany | Japan | United Kingdom | United States | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 2015 | 1990 | 2015 | 1990 | 2015 | 1990 | 2015 | 1990 | 2015 | 1990 | 2015 | |
| Constant 2015 Dollars per Gallon | ||||||||||||
| Taxes | 1.35 | 1.15 | 4.67 | 3.60 | 3.01 | 3.70 | 2.70 | 2.08 | 3.09 | 4.43 | 0.56 | 0.45 |
| Other Cost Components | 2.04 | 2.07 | 1.92 | 2.08 | 1.79 | 2.17 | 3.03 | 2.22 | 2.03 | 2.00 | 1.54 | 1.97 |
| Total Price | 3.39 | 3.22 | 6.58 | 5.68 | 4.81 | 5.87 | 5.73 | 4.30 | 5.11 | 6.43 | 2.10 | 2.43 |
| Percent Tax | 40% | 36% | 71% | 63% | 63% | 63% | 47% | 48% | 60% | 69% | 27% | 19% |
Source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Transportation Energy Data Book: Edition 35, October 2016, Figure 10.2. | ||||||||||||