Annual tax on offshore wind turbines for coastal municipalities and sea users

The 2005 Amending Finance Act (Article 76) creates Article 1519 B of the General Tax Code: an annual tax is owed by operators of wind power installations located in inland waters or the territorial sea. It is based on the number of megawatts installed on 1 January, at €12,000 per megawatt, indexed to nominal GDP growth, and is not due in the year of commissioning. Its proceeds go to the national offshore wind compensation fund (Article 1519 C): half is shared among coastal municipalities from which the installations are visible, and the other half is managed by the département council in a fund for fishing and leisure sailing. In return, these installations are excluded from local taxes such as the business tax. The provisions apply from the 2007 tax assessments.