{
  "id": 6464841,
  "title": "New EU taxes will cut countries’ payouts to Brussels, Costa says",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/new-eu-taxes-will-cut-countries-payouts-to-brussels-costa-says",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-09T19:35:37.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Politico EU",
    "slug": "politico-eu",
    "url": "https://www.politico.eu/article/new-eu-taxes-will-cut-taxpayers-payouts-to-brussels-antonio-costa-says/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "European Council president António Costa revealed that new EU-wide taxes could diminish German contributions to the Union's revenues. With a mere four months remaining until the deadline for a deal on the EU's 2028-2034 budget, Costa hinted that these new levies would lessen national contributions to the EU's fund. This move would be crucial for Germany, which presently funds a quarter of the budget. Costa asserted during a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin that \"we cannot demand more from the member states. We must establish new own resources to safeguard national budgets.\" He added, \"all national budgets must be respected.\"\n\nThe visit coincided with the far-right Alternative for Germany's historic triumph in the regional elections in Saxony-Anhalt, potentially solidifying Merz's resistance during budget negotiations, according to EU diplomats. Speaking alongside Costa, Merz reiterated calls to slash \"several hundred billion\" from the Commission's near-€2 trillion proposal. He described the budget surge as \"simply unfeasible, as it is ultimately the European taxpayer who bears the cost.\"\n\nCosta argued that EU-wide taxes, called own resources, are necessary to fund common European policy areas like defense and competitiveness that individual governments cannot tackle. The Portuguese leader has hinted at narrowing down several potential taxes that are agreeable to EU governments during a leaders' summit on Oct. 15. The Commission's proposal from July suggested new own resources of €66 billion annually. However, following over a year of negotiations, EU governments have only agreed to proposed levies on foreign polluters, the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, and on uncollected electronic waste, which are projected to raise around €20 billion per year combined.",
  "summary": "The European Council president held budget talks with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz days after the debacle in Saxony-Anhalt.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Politico EU",
        "title": "Costa puts EU taxes at heart of his grand budget tour",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/costa-puts-eu-taxes-at-heart-of-his-grand-budget-tour",
        "published": "2026-09-07T18:33:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}