This is one of the main recommendations of the high level group on own resources.
The group, headed by Mario Monti, a former Italian Prime Minister and European Commissioner, concluded its work in December and presented its final report on Thursday. Its other members include ALDE group Chair Guy Verhofstadt and French EPP group member Alain Lamassoure.
The report, which has been seen by this website, makes the case for "substantial" reform, where "changes on the revenue side are an integral part" of a larger reconfiguration of the multiannual financial framework (MFF).
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The report says the "multiple crises" Europe has endured, including the economic downturn, "served as wake-up calls that a much closer cooperation was needed at the EU level."
It goes on, "The EU has encountered great difficulty in addressing these challenges and redirecting EU capacity of action over the last years, which serves to underline how crucial financial resources have become in solving pressing issues internally and externally."
The group, said Monti, examined how the revenue side of the EU budget can be made "more simple, transparent, fair and democratically accountable."
The document, the result of over two years of work, strongly argues in favour of new own resources which it says, "would help enforce some EU policies and support EU policy objectives, in particular economic, social and environmental sustainability."
It states, "Some taxes or levies targeted to fight climate change or promote energy efficiency, for example, have long been recognised at the national level as ways to promote political preferences through taxation.
"A similar approach could be adopted if a coordinated tax were to be introduced in member states, and some of its proceeds attributed to the EU budget."
The reform of budgetary revenue, concludes the high level group, "is neither an end in itself nor a panacea to cure all budgetary ills."
It adds, "It should be seen as a building block in the ongoing effort to restore trust and legitimacy to EU action by making the Union's own resources system simpler, more transparent and equitable and democratically accountable."
A reformed system of own resources "should contribute to achieving the EU's policy objectives, while also fulfilling its task of funding the EU budget appropriately, and easing the adoption of the budget."
Monti, who was speaking at a news briefing, told this website, "EU citizens deserve a budget that meets these challenges head-on whenever action at EU level is called for."
He conceded that the group now faces a major battle winning support from both member states and parliament before it can be adopted.
He said, "Unanimity is the key here and we will also need to explain all this and what it means to the public."
Monti added, "Yes, it is necessary to have fiscal prudence but we also need an EU budget that is credible and meets the spending needs of the EU and its citizens.
"Historically, the issue of the EU budget has been a point of controversy, particularly between the Council and Parliament, but the report we have produced is based on a realistic and pragmatic approach."
Monti said the report will now be presented to the college of Commissioners in Strasbourg next week and EU finance ministers later this month.