15 January 2019 08:43 pm
The Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) while exempting electric cars, imposed a Carbon Tax on fossil-fuelled vehicles including petrol cars from January 1.
“In developed countries where vehicles are manufactured, the first five years of a vehicle is regarded as the optimum performance period while the period between five to ten is considered to be non-productive. The period after ten is regarded as the dead period, “Mr. Jayasinghe explained
He said people in developed countries generally discard their vehicles after five years for this very reason, a measure that is unheard of when it comes to us Sri Lankans, not to mention unaffordable.
“Generally, if a vehicle has exceeded a term of ten years, it is imposed an unbearable carbon tax (approximately Rs. 50,000) in order to convince the vehicle user that the vehicle is not road-worthy or environmentally friendly,” he said.
He said although the amount of the tax imposed here was not unbearable, there was no benefit to vehicle users or the environment as a result of it. “What has occurred here is that another tax has been added to further burden vehicle users that generates an income to the government,” he said.
“A majority of the vehicles used in Sri Lanka have exceeded ten years in terms of usage. It means the carbon emission from these vehicles is comparatively higher in Sri Lanka. In this backdrop, the tax does not reflect how much carbon is emitted from a vehicle,
“I don’t see any point in imposing this tax can’t fathom on what grounds it has been imposed,” he added.
Referring to the misconception that prevails in society regarding the difference between the Vehicle Emission Test and the Carbon Tax, Mr. Jayasinghe said there was absolutely no connection between the two.
“The Vehicle Emission Test is done to check emission standards and to ascertain whether they are within the government defined limits,” he said. (Sheain Fernandopulle)