Muiris O’Cearbhaill reports from Brussels.
A WEIGHT-BASED tax for cars has been noted as a potential measure Green Party MEP Ciarán Cuffe would consider to stop SUVs from “burning up our planet”.
The move, which was suggested as a potential budgetary measure last month by a panel of experts, would see cars over 1,800 kilograms be taxed at a higher threshold, €10 for every 10 kilos over.
Similar tariffs have been put in place in France, which has had good success in acting as a deterrent towards purchasing a heavy vehicle, like SUVs.
Speaking to reporters in Brussels today, Cuffe said that two thirds of the cars bought in Ireland, are classified as SUVs – which he believes should come with a “health warning”.
Cuffe said: “Very simply, they are burning up our planet. And I think SUVs should come with a health warning. We know from the International Energy Agency that they emit 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.”
The sale of SUVs and SUV-like vehicles has increased by 100% in the European Union, since 2001, a recent Oireachtas Transport Committee sitting was told.
The Dublin MEP said that consumers should be informed of the hazards that the vehicles can do to the environment, and suggested that the size of the vehicles makes it difficult for others on the roads.
The government’s Tax Strategy Group estimated the electrification of the national car fleet would cost the exchequer €1.5 billion per year in lost motor tax, VAT, and petrol and diesel excise receipts.
The advisors noted that the weight of a vehicle “generally correlates with vehicle emissions” and suggested that the introduction of a weight-based tax would incentivise the purchase of vehicles with lower emissions.
It also explored similar schemes in other EU member states such as France, which has introduced the scheme as an additional charge, on top of motor tax, with a cap of €50,000 and an exemption for EVs.
Asked by The Journal if he would be interested in a weight-based tax being introduced, Cuffe said: “Yes I would.”
“I think we should look at the weight and I think we should also look at the width of these vehicles. They’re pushing the crowding pedestrians and cyclists off the roads,” Cuffe said.
“If you have a lane that is 2.9 meters wide, an SUV is taking up much more of that lane and leaving much less space for for the cyclist,” he added.
When it was put to Cuffe that electric vehicles contain heavy batteries, the MEP said: “Indeed, which is all the more reason why we need to choose sensibly when we’re choosing an electric vehicle.
… I think there are sensible choices that can provide for a family’s needs that aren’t the monster trucks that we’re seeing that appear on Irish roads.”
Speaking to the Climate Committee last month, a number of experts told TDs to consider introducing a weight-based tax ahead of the budget with James Nix, the Climate Director of Transport and Environment, suggesting that the tax be introduced by mid-year 2024.
Asked if the state should consider the tax, Nix said that the introduction would be “desirable” as the “top sellers” have become up to 30 centimetres wider in the last thirty years.
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