Using OECD data, a Korean think tank has computed the “green” tax burden for industrialized countries, including the U.S. Considering taxes on fuel, automobiles, and related purchases, the researchers estimated the green tax takes as a share of a nation’s total tax burden:
Koreans pay an average of $508 every year in green taxes, which accounts for 10.3 percent of the country’s overall tax revenues. . . .
The Netherlands came in second in the green tax ratio at 9.9 percent followed by Denmark with 9.7 percent, Finland with 6.9 percent, Germany with 6.7 percent and Norway with 6.2 percent.
The comparable ratios were a mere 3.1 percent for the United States and the United Kingdom each and those for Belgium and France were less than half of Korea at 4.6 percent, respectively.
The average for OCED countries is 5.38 percent.