The State loses money because of exhaust pipe tests in laboratories

The State loses money because of exhaust pipe tests in laboratories

The difference between the amount of polluting emissions detected from a car in laboratory tests and what it emits in real traffic situations means public treasuries loses money. Based on figures for 2016, Belgian authorities lost out on an estimated 212 million euros in tax that year. They lost out on 687 million for 2010 – 2016 according to a study by Green Budget Europe and Green Budget Germany, Le Soir reported on Saturday.

The study, which was requested by the European Green Party, was released on Friday evening. It looked at eleven European countries, including Belgium. It was done because car tax is partially based on the amount of pollutants a car emits. Constructors give authorities figures from laboratory tests, which are sometimes very different from the quantity of CO² a car emits in a real traffic situation.

If car tax had been based on real emissions, authorities in the countries involved would have been able to claim 10 billion euros more in 2016. Belgium was affected, as the tax on company cars and road tax in Flanders and Wallonia is partially based in CO² emissions, via éco-malus.

 
The Brussels Times


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