[sustran] Re: Green = Pollution and Congestion- Taxes on Cars

Kisan Mehta kisansbc at vsnl.com
Sun Jun 27 15:42:23 JST 2004


Dear Colleagues,

Frankly we fail to appreciate Prabha's contention that the issue is 
complex.    We have  to look to the existing situation and visualise 
conditions most likely  to come up and devise measures to ease the 
present and to avoid  future hardship to residents. 

Our suggestion is to charge under Pollution Tax one time levy  when a 
new car leaves the show room and recurring charge on the fuel filled 
payable at the time of filling up of the tank.  Congestion Tax is a recurring 
charge to be paid on the basis of fuel filled.      Can anybody avoid registration 
for bringing car on the road with a distinctive serial number. No car can run on 
roads without the serial number assigned by the registering authority.   In India,
registration tax is now one time hence the Pollution Tax as well can be one 
time. In some countries, reregistration is annual with changing serial number.     

Both recurring Pollution and Congestion Tax can be added to fuel price and 
collectd on the basis of fuel delivered at the pump. There can be no avoidance 
of this tax as the gas pump shall have to deposit the amount to the treasury on 
the same lines like Sales Tax or Excise Duty prevailing in India.    Both taxes 
shall have to be uniform for the entire country to seal likelihood of leakage. 

Part of Congestion Tax collections can be used to upgrade public transport
both intracity and intercity.   Public transport service within the commuting 
areas Indian cities is dismal, neglected by the authorities who invariably collect 
Passenger Tax, sometime touching to 15-25 % of the ticket fare on every 
ticket issued for travelling in the hazardous rickety and noisy buses.  

The paradox is that every  bus passenger, intracity and intercity, pays the 
Passenger Tax while a car owner has nothing to pay for use of road and f
or killing pedestrians on the road. 

Public transport service, both railway and bus, needs to be improved.  
Improved railway commuter service can enable ciommuters to shift to railways
and public bus service can reduce hardship.  To improve public road service 
it is essnetial that number of private motorised vehicles has to be reduced.
The above taxes will be a positive movement for easing road congestion 
and increasing cimmuter satisfaction.    Hope Prabha supports these levies 
as measures to ease congestion and reduce polution, both to the benefit of 
the people and more of the poor.    

Like any developing (poor) country. the Indian Government is doing everything 
to support motorisation at the cost of the common man who cannot dream of 
owning a car ever, even a Maruti (Suzuki) car. Best wishes.

Kisan Mehta         
Save Bombay Committee 
620 Jame Jamshed Road, Dadar East,
Mumbai 400014
Tel: 00 91 22 2414 9688 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Prabha Krishnan 
  To: sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org ; NewMobilityCafe at yahoogroups.com ; bombaynet at yahoogroups.com 
  Cc: hjk at rincon.co.in ; bombaynet at yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2004 4:25 PM
  Subject: [sustran] Re: [bnet] France to Impose Green Tax on Big Cars


        This issue is complex. When Maruti started manufacture it was a "peoples car" - implication being when we have more moolah we "graduate" to better, bigger cars.
        Big cars have aspiration value. In my building the watchmen routinely stand up to greet visitors in big cars - the same courtesy doesn't extend to people like us in small cars.
        Taxes are easily avoidable by this class of big people in big cars. THe big car manufacturers are also policy makers. 
        As such, ecofreindly mass transport wil be a distant dream. 

        From: bombaynet at yahoogroups.com
        Date: 06/26/04 13:48:01
        To: sustran discuss; NewMobilityCafe
        Cc: bombaynet at yahoogroups.com; Harshad J. Kamdar
        Subject: [bnet] France to Impose Green Tax on Big Cars

        Dear Colleagues,

        We should welcome and applaud the French proposal to impose Green
        Tax  on Big Cars in view of increasing quantum of air exhaust in
        crowded human settlements.   This is possibly the first time that such a
        move being taken by the authorities to curb polution.

          Vehicle registration taxes worked out on the laden weight of the vehicle
        to be  paid at the time of putting  the vehicle on the road are comon
        however they are  found to be inadequate to curb increasing air pollution.

        One time tax as proposed may not be appropriate. To achieve the object
        of ensuring minimum health, what is required in addition is a Pollution
        Tax tagged to the petrol/diesel/gas consumption. That would also curb
        the use of vehicle  after paying the first tax. The realisation of Pollution
        Tax  can be utilised to run medical care  centres for cardiovaswcular and
        related  diseases as well as curtail the use of finite resource.    Taxes
        should be applicable throughout  the designated area, say the EU, France etc
        so that no vehicle  can escapes payment of these taxes.

        One time tax proposed for Paris would not control the pollution because
        the vehicle owner after paying  the initial tax payable at the time of
        purchase would soon forget the payment altogether and use the costlier vehicle 
        more vengefully to the further loss to the community.

        Along with Pollution Tax, authorities should consider levying Congestion Tax to 
        be  paid on the basis of actual furl coinsumption.  Rates for taxes may be 
        different for different fuels, say more for diesel in personal cars, to encourage 
        change over to less polluting fuels.   Congrstion Tax reciepts can be utilised for 
        improving  pedestrian movmeent facilites. In the fast growing motorisation,  
        pedestrian safety and convenience get the lowest priority.

        Thje SUVs and 4D vehicles should be charged tae Congestion and Pollution
        Taxes at a higher rate than personal cars.

        Let us hope that tax in London brought by the Mayor and the tax proposed
        in France become the herbinger of improved environment and higher
        human  safety. Thanks Sujit for bringing the matter to our notice. Best
        wishes.

        Kisan Mehta
        Save Bombay Committee
        620 Jame Jamshed Road,
        Mumbai 400014
        Tel:  00 91 22 2414 9688 
               
       
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