More than 80 per cent of EU companies eligible for a new carbon border tax will be exempted under reforms planned by Brussels, tax commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has said. Hoekstra told the FT he wanted to restrict the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) to the biggest importers and spare most businesses the costs of compliance and charges as part of the bloc’s push to cut red tape and boost productivity.

This change may be part of the EU’s upcoming “omnibus” legislation, which is designed to slash reporting rules for businesses.