The tables show us the quantity of exports being transported through Rotterdam over a ten-year period, and the level of taxation imposed on the goods at destination.
Regarding the volumes, total exports increased slightly, reaching 18,600 million tonnes by 2012. Within this total, however, most zones declined in volume. For example, Europe – the largest destination – declined from 6,900 million to 6,400 million, and the USA – the second highest – went down by roughly 10% to 3,900 million. China dipped slightly to 2,300 million, and Latin America dropped from 1,800 to 1,500 million. The ‘other’ zones remained static at 350 million.
By marked contrast, volumes to Asia Pacific and Australasia more than trebled, hitting 2,550 and 2,300 million tonnes respectively. Turning to taxation, we see that tax increased considerably in most the zones that showed a decline in volumes, reaching 2% in China and Latin America, with a decrease from 3% to 2% in the United States, and rising from 5% to 8% in Europe. The ‘other’ zones kept tax stable at 2%, while the growth zones reduced tax massively, from 5% to 2% in Asia Pacific and a fourfold decrease to 1% in Australasia.
In summary, the decade showed a clear connection between increased export volumes and reduced levels of tax.