Eco-friendly cars in Brussels cost up to €5,000 more than in Flanders

Eco-friendly cars in Brussels cost up to €5,000 more than in Flanders
The Belgian Regions have different criteria for determining the registration tax of a car. Credit: Pixabay

Due to the different criteria for determining the registration tax in the different Regions, eco-friendly cars cost up to €5,000 more in the Brussels Region than in Flanders.

The Belgian Regions have different criteria for determining the registration tax of a car. In Flanders, the environmental characteristics of the car, like CO2 and fine dust emissions, are most important. The fuel type, the European standard and the age of the car also partly determine the registration fee.

However, in the Brussels and Walloon Regions, the registration tax is still determined on the basis of the engine's power, expressed in taxable horsepower.

The registration tax for a Volkswagen hybrid car in the Flemish region, thanks to its ecological label, is €0, as is the additional road tax. That same car in the Brussels Region, however, would cost €4.957 in registration tax, and an additional €222 in yearly road tax, according to a test VRT NWS did.

"The differences can be justified if you know that buying a house in Brussels is fiscally more beneficial than in Flanders, and the personal income tax is lower," said Sven Gatz, the Brussels' Minister for Finances, reports VRT NWS. "However, we do need to reduce the road tax on these kinds of ecological vehicles," he added.

In Wallonia, too, the registration and road tax will be revised to make weight, horsepower and emissions the main criteria for determining the taxes.

"The signal to all citizens must be the same: choose an environmentally friendly vehicle and you pay less for it," said Joost Kaesemans, a spokesman for Febiac, the automobile industry federation in Belgium, reports VRT NWS.

Maïthé Chini

The Brussels Times


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