For all motorists, finally some positive news, which could save a lot of money every year.
Every year, millions of Italian motorists are annoyed by one of the most hateful taxes related to vehicle ownership: the car tax. The European Union has brought astonishing news that calls all of this into question.
The car tax is one of the most hated taxes and provides that car owners have to pay an amount corresponding to the possession of the vehicle every year. It is a regional tax and each region proposes its own rules for deadlines and payments. Disabled people and those who buy environmentally friendly vehicles, such as hybrid or electric ones, are exempt from the tax by law. Some categories are also exempt from payment, depending on regional regulations. In some cases it is also necessary to pay the super stamp.
This means that households in Italy owning multiple cars for a single household will account for a significant tax on each household’s annual expenditure. Luckily, there seems to be some good news for car owners. In fact, other European countries have already adopted different rules which do not provide for a fixed annual amount, or provide for a relatively low annual fixed amount, while the rest is calculated on the basis of the actual use of the car during the year, i.e. on the basis the number of kilometers travelled. The calculation of the tax also includes CO2 emissions and therefore also takes into account the vehicle type and engine capacity.
This new “consumption” rule has proved to be very successful both for car users and for society as a whole: the former have obtained lower annual payments than the previous tax and, secondly, they have discouraged the use of cars in urban spaces thanks to a 10% reduction in emissions.
A similar model applies in Portugal, where the annual fee can range from a basic €28 upwards.
Consider, for example, a petrol car of the same model manufactured and distributed in 1997: if it was registered in Portugal in 1997, it would have to pay an annual tax of 28 euros. If, on the other hand, the vehicle was registered in France in 1997 and imported into Portugal in 2001, it would have to pay a tax of 50 euros. A vehicle registered in Germany in 1995 and imported into Portugal in October 2007 would pay 50 euros for the engine size, plus a tax relating to the level of CO2 emitted. Now let’s look at a more recent vehicle with an engine capacity of 1300 cc, registered in 2005 in Portugal, this vehicle would pay an annual road tax of 32 euros. If, on the other hand, the vehicle was registered in Italy in 2006 and imported into Portugal in October 2007, it will have to pay 50 euros plus an amount calculated on the basis of CO2 emissions.
