Today's Top Stories - August 17, 2012

High-emission cars remain welcome in Brussels

Brussels will not have any low-emission zones because such zones have a negligible impact on the environment and mobility, according to Brussels Environment minister Evelyne Huytebroeck. Many European cities, such as London (pictured), Cologne, Florence or Amsterdam, already boast such zones, in which high-pollution vehicles are forbidden - failure to comply results in hefty fines. There had been plans originally to create a low-emission zone in the centre of Brussels and/or around the European institutions. But a new study by Leuven-based environmental consultancy Transport & Mobility reveals that the benefits yielded by such a policy would be minimal compared to the costs involved. Besides, such measures would be difficult to implement and would cause an increase in sales of new cars – according to the findings, 75% of vehicles barred from low-emission zones are replaced with new ones within a year. “The real solutions to improving the quality of the air we breathe lie in other solutions such as promoting the use of public transport,” the minister said.

Police watchdog investigates pepper spray use

The P-Committee, Belgium’s police watchdog, is concerned about the growing use of pepper spray by federal and local police forces. Over 120 instances take place every year, but this doesn’t take into consideration unreported cases. All police officers are required to report all instances of pepper spray use, as well as their motivation for doing so. In an internal report, the P-Committee deplores that the explanations provided by officers in their reports are “often mediocre”. Furthermore, the watchdog also questions the lawfulness or the excessive nature of the use of pepper spray in many cases.   

Tax statements arrive early

More than a million taxpayers have already received their annual tax statements, according to figures released by the Federal Public Service for Finance. Half of these had already been sent by the end of July, and now the fiscal authorities are on course to achieve their goal of 1.5 million statements before the end of August ) - a 50% increase on August 2011. It is expected that 5.4 million taxpayers (90%) will receive their statements in 2012. The widespread use of the Tax-on-Web portal is the primary reason for the faster processing of tax forms. Belgian authorities have two months (as of the date on the statement) to pay back monies owed to the taxpayers, meaning that the first reimbursements will be paid out in September. Taxpayers who owe money to the fiscal authorities usually have a three-month period to do so. 

Proposed car tax cameras labelled “too expensive”

The installation of 840 cameras on Belgium’s roads to check the payment of a new road tax to be introduced in 2016 “is a difficult project to implement, and expensive,” according to automobile organisation Touring. The Brussels, Flanders and Wallonia regions plan to catch drivers who haven’t paid the tax via the new cameras. “The installation of cameras would cost a fortune… It’s an ambitious project,” said Touring which fears that the project, already postponed from 2013 to 2016, could be further delayed. It called for road tax reform and stated a preference for a tax based on the number of kilometres driven. Wallonia’s transport minister Di Antonio pointed out that the installation of cameras remained “a project”. The plan is that all motorists, including HGV vehicles, would have to buy a tax disc. For Belgians it would be integrated into the road tax, while foreigners would pay via SMS or at a petrol station. 

Ghent artist sparks outrage for street art in the US

A wall mural by Ghent street artist Roa has sparked controversy among residents in Rochester, New York. The recently completed graffiti image of two bears, one lying on top of the other, is part of a public space art project called “Wall Therapy”. While locals in the St Paul’s neighbourhood express outrage at its sexual overtones, local artists say it serves a purpose by inspiring dialogue. The secretive artist Roa has said it is simply two bears lying down. His work typically depicts large-scale animals, including rabbits, rodents and birds, and are usually created with spray cans of paint. They can be found in major European cities as well as New York and his hometown Ghent.