Fuel duty reduction for biofuels made permanent from 2004 and extended to directly blended ethanol

Article 38 of the 2003 Amending Finance Act amends Article 265 bis A of the Customs Code. The domestic consumption tax reduction granted to biofuels from approved plants, previously set 'for 2003', applies 'from 1 January 2004'. The reduction for vegetable oil methyl esters blended into diesel or heating oil falls from EUR 35 to EUR 33 per hectolitre; the EUR 38 per hectolitre reduction for ethyl alcohol derivatives is kept; a EUR 37 per hectolitre reduction is created for agricultural ethyl alcohol blended directly into petrol. The 31 December 2003 deadline for approving plants is removed.