Conservatives in the European Parliament delivered a setback for European Commission plans to erase tax benefits for diesel fuel, saying that a period of austerity and high fuel costs is not the time for such moves. The vote also calls for changes to the Commission’s proposed minimum carbon tax on emissions from households, farms and the transport industry not already covered under the EU’s Emissions Trading System. The Parliament’s recommendations are non-binding. But they lay the groundwork for anticipated changes in the Council of Ministers, where Poland has already blocked moves to impose stronger emission-reductions obligations, and at a time when high fuel prices may tame the political appetite for higher taxes. --EurActiv, 20 April 2012
