[sustran] France to Impose Green Tax on Big Cars

[ecoplan.adsl at wanadoo.fr]

The remainder of this interesting discussion can be found both direct in
our Sustran Network link (under Talking New Mobility in the menu) or in
our gemütlich New Mobility Cafe (same address).

 

BTW, are there any other worthy discussions on our important topic to
which we should be providing similar direct links for everyone's use and
convenience?

 

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-----Original Message-----
From: sustran-discuss-bounces+ecoplan.adsl=wanadoo.fr at list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+ecoplan.adsl=wanadoo.fr at list.jca.apc.org
] On Behalf Of Kisan Mehta
Sent: Sunday, June 27, 2004 8:42 AM
To: Asia and the Pacific sustainable transport;
NewMobilityCafe at yahoogroups.com; bombaynet at yahoogroups.com
Cc: Harshad J. Kamdar; bombaynet at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [sustran] Re: Green = Pollution and Congestion- Taxes on Cars

 

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 <mailto:prabha_k at vsnl.com>  

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 <mailto:sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org> ;
NewMobilityCafe <mailto:NewMobilityCafe at yahoogroups.com> 

Cc: bombaynet at yahoogroups.com; Harshad J. Kamdar
<mailto:hjk at rincon.co.in> 

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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