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Brussels plans higher road tax for large SUVs

20:23 17/11/2019

The Brussels region wants to discourage drivers from buying over-sized 4x4s, by introducing a higher rate of road tax.

The regional government said in a policy statement that SUVs were not suited to journeys in an urban environment.

The road tax paid when a driver buys a new vehicle has until now been a federal competence, but will pass to Belgium's three regions from January 2020.

The criteria used to calculate the tax are currently based on a vehicle's power and fuel consumption - but could be adjusted to take into account its size.

Four out of 10 cars sold in Belgium today are sport utility vehicles. "They are large vehicles which take up a lot of public space," said Damien Ernst, an energy professor at the University of Liège. "They are polluting and also dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists."

January is an important time for car sales in Belgium, with the Brussels Motor Show, and Jean-Marc Ponteville, a spokesman for D'Ieteren car dealership, said announcing a tax change would "slow down purchasing decisions".

He said: "The customer does not know what to do. It slows down the market. A large family needs a larger car, so people do not always have the opportunity to choose a car that will be the most tax-efficient."

Written by The Bulletin

Comments

batraxaki_kk

belgian state is a thief state.Always dirtying to discover new taxes to steel the citizens and feed the corrupted politicians.The state with the highest taxation in European Community and one of the biggest in the world.Just explain to us why we have to pay a new circulation tax to put on the road an already second-hand car?Tell us why should we pay so big annual circulation taxes?In the near future they will put a tax to the air we are breathing.Pathetic assholes

Nov 18, 2019 17:19
Anon3

Giving free rein to the Brussels politicians to tax cars as they please is the same as giving children unlimited access to use your credit card for online games and purchases. Guaranteed disaster for ordinary citizens.

Nov 19, 2019 18:34
CM

This is encouraging news, as it is clearly ridiculous to drive around tiny streets in SUVs, but the real problem is company cars. Start taxing them properly and you might see some improvement.

Nov 20, 2019 11:00