Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-04-Speech-1-073"
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"en.20060904.18.1-073"2
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".
Madam President, I think we are discussing an important topic today. A considerable proportion of the C02 that we all send into the atmosphere is accounted for by car exhaust fumes. Road transport is responsible for some 25% of European CO2 emissions, half of which is attributable to cars. As such, a reduction in CO2 emissions by our fleet of cars can make an important contribution to the Kyoto objectives to which the European Union has committed itself.
Only last year, in its report on climate change, this House pointed at the need for a considerable improvement in energy efficiency in the transport sector. Alongside this, technological innovation is of major importance in order to be able to achieve our climate objectives. Tax measures can be very effective in this. By differentiating taxes according to impact on the environment, we can discourage harmful practices, promote economy drives and stimulate technological innovation. In that light, we welcome the Commission proposal to differentiate annual road tax depending on CO2 emission, according to which a proportion of annual road tax would be calculated on the basis of the quantity of CO2 emitted by the car per km.
A car which is more economic in its fuel consumption, and therefore uses less CO2, will cost less, and we in this House also want other substances, such as nitrogen oxide and soot particles, included in the equation. It is important, though, that we apply a calculation basis that is progressive. That means that heavier engines that use more fuel and contribute more to climate change will, in relative terms, be taxed more heavily. Accordingly, there are low thresholds for driving modest models, whilst people will need to pay a price for driving around in the most expensive and biggest cars, which cause most environmental damage. We do not support the proposal of the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance to bring forward the date on which the directive enters into force. In our view, Member States need to be given the time to do the groundwork properly.
The second and, I believe, most controversial part of the proposal, alongside differentiating car tax, is to abolish registration tax on new cars. Whilst, according to the Commission, this solves a few internal market problems, it will, it believes, also accelerate the renewal rate of the fleet of cars, so that old and environmentally-unfriendly cars will make way for new and clean cars more quickly.
I have to say that opinions on this subject within my group are divided, and I, as rapporteur for the Committee on Transport and Tourism, would just like to add that I made a proposal of my own, which did not make it to the finishing line, though, not to abolish this registration tax. I think that, based on the experience in my own country, this registration tax can also be used to promote the use of environmentally-friendly cars, the sale of which in the Netherlands has been boosted enormously through their no longer being taxed. Members of my group will, then, vote in different ways, but it is important that the Commissioner is aware that people are divided on this issue.
Finally, the Commissioner said something about the Council and mixed reactions. I wish him much strength, because although this is a rather important discussion, and this House, as we also know, takes a degree of pleasure in it happening, in the Council, though, a proposal such as this will probably quickly be vetoed out by one of the Member States in a flat refusal to talk about taxation at European level. Nevertheless, I hope that the Commissioner will succeed in achieving, in principle, a breakthrough on this score. I wish him good luck."@en1
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