Rulebooks Published for the Implementation of the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Tax and the Carbon-Intensive Products Import Tax
The implementation of the Law on the Tax on Greenhouse Gas Emissions and the Law on the Tax on the Import of Carbon-Intensive Products, which entered into force on 1 January 2026, has been completed with the adoption of two new by-laws published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia No. 62/2026 of 8 July 2026.
The adopted by-laws are:
- Rulebook on Reference Greenhouse Gas Emission Values for Production Processes and Activities Related to the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Tax, and
- Rulebook on Reference Emission Values and Default CO₂eq Emission Values.
These rulebooks establish the reference emission values used to determine the tax base, thereby providing the regulatory framework necessary for the full implementation of both tax laws.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions Tax
Taxpayers are operators of installations required to obtain a greenhouse gas emissions permit and engaged in one or more of the following activities:
- Electricity generation;
- Cement production;
- Production of pig iron, steel and ferroalloys;
- Aluminium production; and
- Manufacture of fertilizers and nitrogen compounds.
The tax base is determined as the difference between the total annual greenhouse gas emissions of the installation and the reference emissions established under the relevant rulebook, taking into account the production output or level of activity. The applicable tax rate is EUR 4 per tonne of CO₂ or CO₂ equivalent (CO₂eq), converted into Serbian dinars at the official middle exchange rate of the National Bank of Serbia on the last day of the tax period.
Tax on the Import of Carbon-Intensive Products
The tax applies to imports of products falling within the following categories:
- Iron and steel;
- Cement;
- Aluminium; and
- Fertilizers.
The tax base is calculated as the difference between the actual (or, where applicable, estimated) CO₂eq emissions associated with the production of the imported goods and the reference emission values prescribed by the relevant rulebook. The applicable tax rate is EUR 4 per tonne of CO₂eq.
Tax Filing Deadlines
For both taxes, the tax period is the calendar year.
Tax returns must be submitted by 31 May of the current year for the previous calendar year, and the assessed tax liability must be paid within the same deadline.
With the publication of the rulebooks establishing the reference and default emission values, Serbia has finalized the secondary legislation required for the implementation of its new carbon taxation system.
Operators of regulated installations and importers of carbon-intensive products should review the applicable calculation methodologies, align their internal monitoring and reporting systems, and ensure they are prepared to determine their tax base and comply with the new reporting and tax obligations.