Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-11-05-Speech-3-196"
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"en.20031105.15.3-196"2
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"Mr President, it would seem the expressions of support by these political groups conflict a good deal with regard to this issue. I actually support Mrs Honeyball’s commendable report on the taxation of passenger cars. I think the Commission communication should be welcomed and I hope that the Commission will promptly reform European car taxation.
As my colleague, Mr Vatanen, has already described so expertly, the current situation where such a key consumer durable good as a car is one of the most difficult things to move around within the Union area is totally untenable. There are considerable barriers to transfer of cars from one Member State to another, which are still being caused by differences in tax legislation as well as inflexible administrative practices. In the matter of car taxation the citizens of the Union are being treated totally unequally, as it depends on the country in which they live.
The Commission proposal to phase out registration tax would be a solution to most of the tax-related problems, and it should be done as quickly as possible. It should be noted, however, that the European Parliament on an earlier occasion supported proposals by the Commission to eliminate double taxation, but the Council has not as yet approved it. The Council should seriously consider what in the final analysis serves the interest of the citizens of the Union where these issues are concerned.
Secondly, the main focus of taxing motoring should be made to move away from the notion of ownership. In some Nordic countries, such as Finland, it is dreadfully expensive to buy a new, ordinary family car, just because of the registration tax. As a result, you see on the roads in our country incredibly old cars which in other countries of the Union would be deemed fit for the scrap heap. That is why the emphasis of car taxation should move more in the direction of taxation on use.
Taxation on use, however, must also be reasonable, and the overall burden of taxation of motoring must not be allowed to become too great. This is especially important in sparsely populated areas like those in the north, in Finland and Sweden, where the car is often the only possible means of transport, public transport services being very limited.
For the same reason I do not support abolishing the favourable tax treatment for diesel fuel. Removing the tax incentive on diesel would result in considerable costs for long-distance journeys for the peripheral areas of the Union, which already suffer in other ways. What is more, the latest studies show that carbon dioxide emissions from diesel cars are considerably lower than from petrol cars. This was something my colleague, Mr Schmidt, of the Group of the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party, also referred to.
Emissions from passenger cars are nevertheless a significant source of greenhouse emissions, which is why we must act in such a way that, where possible, consumers are steered in the direction of environmentally sustainable and favourable products. Thus, for example, the taxation of fuels should take account of the environmentally friendly aspect by lowering taxes on liquid fuels in this category. Car taxation could also take account of the environmentally friendly aspect either in the form of reductions in possible circulation taxes or tax benefits for optional environmentally friendly devices.
I furthermore take a positive view of Mrs Honeyball’s proposal regarding tax benefits for safety devices. Support for, and encouraging the use of, safe, environmentally friendly and, from the consumer’s point of view, durable vehicles in the Union area in this way are welcome moves."@en1
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