Tonnage and poundage Tonnage and poundage Tonnage and Poundage were certain duties and taxes first levied in Edward II's reign on every tun (cask) of imported wine, which came mostly from Spain and Portugal, and on every pound weight of merchandise exported or imported. Traditionally tonnage and poundage was granted by Parliament to the king for life until the reign of Charles I. Tonnage and poundage were swept away by the Customs Consolidation Act of 1787. Charles I's first Parliament, known as the Useless Parliament, broke with tradition and granted the king tonnage and poundage for a year rather than life out of
Tonnage tax certifying bodies that determine the transport capacity of the vessels. Under current international practice, tonnage tax regimes are used to incentivise the modernisation and improved environmental performance of merchant fleets. The first country to introduce a tonnage tax was Greece back in 1957. Today, tonnage tax rules are applied in many countries, including 18 EU countries. The latest tonnage tax regime to have received the approval of the European Commission is the Maltese tonnage tax scheme on 19 December 2017. Tonnage tax A tonnage tax is a taxation mechanism that can be applied to shipping companies. The tax is determined