Prohibit the repair of vehicles older than 15 years?
Associação Automóvel de Portugal recognizes the need to move forward with decarbonization, but has doubts about the means to achieve the ends and accuses Brussels of unreasonableness. On the other hand, it advocates “a reduction in the tax burden and also support for the renewal of the car fleet”.
The Automobile Association of Portugal (ACAP) accuses Brussels of unreasonableness in the idea of banning the repair of vehicles older than 15 years.
The AAP recognises the need to move forward with decarbonisation and that the transport sector is a major contributor to CO2 emissions, but has doubts about the means to achieve the ends.
In statements to Renascença, the secretary general of ACAP, Hélder Barata Pedro defends that “it is necessary to move towards a scenario of reducing emissions and the transport sector, generally, has been targeted as one of the sectors that emits more CO2”, but “there cannot be extremism here, bringing legislation that, then, in practice, is not applicable”.
“Not every country is Germany”
“There has to be reasonableness and not every country is Germany. Speaking now of Portugal, but we have Bulgaria, we have states that entered later – Romania, and there are very different realities in the 27 countries and, sometimes, the European Commission, then also the Parliament and the council, does not take these realities into account”, points out Barata Pedro.
In these statements to Renascença, the secretary general of ACAP defends, in the Portuguese case, a reduction in the tax burden when buying a new car.
“We continue to pay a registration tax-the ISV, on which VAT is levied 23%. This is completely unreasonable, ” he says.
Therefore, the association leader advocates “a reduction in the tax burden, harmonizing in the European Union and also supporting the renewal of the car fleet”.
“The parks are aging, people do not have the capacity to renew their vehicle and we propose an incentive to slaughter vehicles at the end of their lives, either for the purchase of new vehicles or for the purchase of vehicles already registered, but with an age limit”, he explains.
The proposal of the European Commission, still without approval by the European Parliament, aims to renew the car park, making Europeans buy newer and more environmentally friendly vehicles.
The proposal is based on the concept of residual vehicle, which is a kind of category for vehicles over 15 years old and whose malfunctions affect the engine, gearbox, brakes, steering, chassis or bodywork.
If this regulation is approved, the repair or replacement of any of these components in a vehicle older than 15 years may be prohibited.
But, it is important to stress, at this point, it is nothing more than a proposal to accelerate decarbonisation targets in the European Union.