Kategorie: News
Recreational Sector Now Also Subject to Emissions Taxes
The federal government has done it: of all things, the air in a cylinder is now to be taxed. Four weeks ago, Germany adopted a new “CO₂ pricing scheme for compressed breathing gases,” which explicitly applies to dive centers and filling stations as well.
The new regulation takes effect today. The rationale: The gas in the cylinder is “almost certainly breathed out completely,” producing CO₂—and this, like other emissions, must now be priced. An emissions tax on breathing gases; of course, gas mixtures are also included in the regulation.
What does this mean in practice?
An additional CO₂ tax is levied on every fill with compressed air, nitrox, or trimix, which the dive center must pay to the state. The bottom line is that this increases the cost of a tank fill by about 21%. The calculation is based on a flat-rate approach: tank volume, fill pressure, and average breathing gas consumption are used as the basis, regardless of whether the diver ultimately dives for 15 or 60 minutes.
Particularly “charming”
The rationale essentially states that recreational diving is a “non-essential leisure activity” that must therefore make a “special contribution to achieving climate goals.”
Technical divers and clubs with their own filling equipment are expressly not exempt; they are also considered “emitters” and are required to report the tax via an online platform yet to be established.
For us divers, this will likely have some unpleasant consequences:
* Fills will become more expensive,
* Operators will face more bureaucracy,
and the next hassle at the fill station is inevitable—not because of air in the tank, but because of air in the regulations.
This is a brief overview of the new rules and fees. Should there be any changes or adjustments, we will report on them here.