Transparency

An accurate picture of the level and nature of subsidization is a necessary first step towards reform. Reliable information facilitates an assessment of a subsidy's costs, distribution and impacts, and the development of effective strategies for reform. At the international level, it provides a foundation for dialogue on reform and for monitoring of progress towards de-subsidization.

But the current state of knowledge about fossil-fuel subsidies is less than desirable. There are major differences in the amount and quality of information among countries and types of subsidies. At the international level, the lack of information is partly the result of the absence of a system or protocol to comprehensively assess and monitor fossil-fuel subsidies.