The UEIL is claiming victory in its campaign to include lube additives in the exemption list for CN3811.
As previously reported by OATS, the European industry body had written to the European Commission, requesting it to change both taxation and movement regulations. The UEIL argued that including lubricant additives in the Excise Movement and Control System (EMCS) was an unintended consequence of the Energy Taxation Directive.
However, before the end of October, UEIL's Jean-Philippe Monod was able announce that the EU's Commissioners have agreed with UEIL's argument, informing Monod that lubricant additives falling within CN 3811 will now be exempt when EMCS becomes mandatory across all EU states from July 2012 onwards.
The exemption decision is set to have a positive impact on the European lubricants industry as a whole by removing a potentially significant tax levy on all CN 3811-designated lubes additives.
Work by Rod Parker at the UK Lubricants Association (UKLA) first highlighted the issue, which was then taken up by the pan-European UEIL lobby team. UKLA delegate to the UEIL, Sebastian Crawshaw, commented: "This is an excellent result for the UEIL and the whole of the lubricants industry. Congratulations should go to all concerned in achieving this outcome."