What is the sun tax?
Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2024 10:50 am
Is it possible to tax the sun ? In Spain, there was a time when it was possible. Fortunately, this regulation has now been repealed. Although there are still many who believe that it is still in force.
As you probably already know, this regulation was very controversial at the time. And it ended up discouraging self-consumption when, in reality, self-consumption of energy has only advantages.
To understand what the sun tax is , we start from the basis that this is a colloquial name. It began to be used to refer to a regulatory measure that affected self-consumption of energy. The nickname was, to a certain extent, derogatory, and was used to criticize a system that established a regulation and a tax burden that discouraged list of christmas island consumer email the development of solar energy.
Although it has remained etched in our memory, the truth is that this tax was only in force for three years: from 2015 to 2018. Afterwards, fortunately, it disappeared completely.
It was charged through the electricity bill, taking into account both the power and the energy consumption. It was calculated based on the difference between the energy generated through solar panels and the surplus that was fed into the conventional electricity grid.
Tax on the sun, who imposed it and why?
In 2015, with the Partido Popular in government, Royal Decree 900/2015 of 9 October was approved . This project came from the ministry headed at the time by José Manuel Soria, and sought to regulate the administrative, technical and economic conditions affecting self-consumption energy facilities.
Its validity meant the charging of a tax on the energy generated through the use of self-consumption facilities. In other words, so that you understand it even better, it meant paying for self-consumption. So, if you had solar panels at home, you had to pay for it. It's something like if someone came to charge you because you consume the peppers you have grown in your garden.
What justified this charge? According to the Executive, the aim was to establish a fairer system, so that users of renewable energy would pay a fee that was used to maintain the electricity grid.
In practical terms, the temporary charge for self-consumed energy (this was the real name of the " sun tax "), did not raise much money. Because those who consumed up to 10 kW of power were exempt, and it turns out that this is the consumption of most households.
Who was affected by the sun tax?
As we have said before, the tax was levied on all types of self-consumption of energy. All self-consumption installations that were connected to the electricity grid had to pay a surcharge for this.
As you probably already know, this regulation was very controversial at the time. And it ended up discouraging self-consumption when, in reality, self-consumption of energy has only advantages.
To understand what the sun tax is , we start from the basis that this is a colloquial name. It began to be used to refer to a regulatory measure that affected self-consumption of energy. The nickname was, to a certain extent, derogatory, and was used to criticize a system that established a regulation and a tax burden that discouraged list of christmas island consumer email the development of solar energy.
Although it has remained etched in our memory, the truth is that this tax was only in force for three years: from 2015 to 2018. Afterwards, fortunately, it disappeared completely.
It was charged through the electricity bill, taking into account both the power and the energy consumption. It was calculated based on the difference between the energy generated through solar panels and the surplus that was fed into the conventional electricity grid.
Tax on the sun, who imposed it and why?
In 2015, with the Partido Popular in government, Royal Decree 900/2015 of 9 October was approved . This project came from the ministry headed at the time by José Manuel Soria, and sought to regulate the administrative, technical and economic conditions affecting self-consumption energy facilities.
Its validity meant the charging of a tax on the energy generated through the use of self-consumption facilities. In other words, so that you understand it even better, it meant paying for self-consumption. So, if you had solar panels at home, you had to pay for it. It's something like if someone came to charge you because you consume the peppers you have grown in your garden.
What justified this charge? According to the Executive, the aim was to establish a fairer system, so that users of renewable energy would pay a fee that was used to maintain the electricity grid.
In practical terms, the temporary charge for self-consumed energy (this was the real name of the " sun tax "), did not raise much money. Because those who consumed up to 10 kW of power were exempt, and it turns out that this is the consumption of most households.
Who was affected by the sun tax?
As we have said before, the tax was levied on all types of self-consumption of energy. All self-consumption installations that were connected to the electricity grid had to pay a surcharge for this.