How rational the Carbon Taxes are ?

[trish_auto]

According to the new carbon taxation, effective from 2020, I wonder how far it is rational in the way the taxes are imposed.  Seems government is either blind or unaware of loads of overused, aged hybrids with dead hybrids in the roads.  According to the following news paper article government is taxing almost 3 times for more than 10 year old non-hybrids.  Also I wonder whether same equation is applicable to diesels as well.

Most important:

According to the government , intention of this taxation is be to move people away from vehicles run on fossil fuels and encouraging them to use more and more electric cars.  What benefits government has given to electric car users ? Do we get sufficient amount of electricity from sources other than fossil fuel powered generators. ? This is hilarious. 

 

Carbon tax from Jan 1: DMT

2019-01-09 19:03:09

   

While exempting electric cars, a Carbon Tax will be imposed on directly fossil-fueled vehicles including petrol cars from January 1, Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) Commissioner General A.H.K. Jagath Chandrasiri said today.

He told the media that the carbon tax will be based on the fuel consumption of vehicles.

"The tax will be charged under the 2018 financial Act and under three categories -- the manufacturing year of the vehicles of less than five years, between five and ten years and more than ten years," the Commissioner said. “Hybrid vehicles using petrol or diesel and based on their engine capacity with a manufacture date of less than five years would be charged 25 cents for one cubic centimetre, between five and ten years 50 cents and more than ten years one rupee."

The Commissioner said vehicles using petrol or diesel with a manufacture year of less than five years would be charged 50 cents and between five and ten years one rupee and more than ten years Rs.1.50 or one cubic centimetre according to the engine capacity.

He said passenger transport buses with a manufacture year of less than five years will be charged Rs.1,000, between five and ten years, charged Rs.2,000 and more than ten years Rs.3,000.

Charges would be made through the provincial DMT commissioners when obtaining the revenue license.

“Carbon tax charges would not compulsory for this year but from the year 2020, the carbon tax will be a must. When obtaining the revenue license in 2020 the charged would be collected along with the charges of 2019,” the Commissioner said.

All Provincial Secretaries and District Secretaries have been advised in this regard. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)

[iRage]

Uhh....lets say electric cars were somehow magically charged without the burning of fossil fuels at the power stations...aren't most people sticking to older cars because new cars are way above their financial means ? Because of the high price of cars, wouldn't paying the carbon tax still be cheaper than actually buying a new car ?

Also, if the aim is to discourage people from using fossil fueled vehicles; is there a mechanism to actually get rid of these old cars off the road ?

[trish_auto]

13 minutes ago, iRage said:

Uhh....lets say electric cars were somehow magically charged without the burning of fossil fuels at the power stations...aren't most people sticking to older cars because new cars are way above their financial means ? Because of the high price of cars, wouldn't paying the carbon tax still be cheaper than actually buying a new car ?

Also, if the aim is to discourage people from using fossil fueled vehicles; is there a mechanism to actually get rid of these old cars off the road ?

" is there a mechanism to actually get rid of these old cars off the road ?".. good point

[Quiet]

heck all those hi end brands with turbo engines will be charged less. A5 will have less tax than a Jap 1.5L car

[iRage]

I am all for encouraging people to use safer and more environmentally friendly and efficient cars. However, this just seems like an incomplete band-aid job of policy making (or are there other policies in the making that we don't know about ?) and seems to be just another way for the government to fill up its tax income a bit more (for the record I am okay with taxing people as long as the taxes actually go towards benefiting the country and the population as a whole)

[matroska]

On 1/10/2019 at 9:20 PM, iRage said:

incomplete band-aid job of policy making

 

On 1/10/2019 at 9:20 PM, iRage said:

just another way for the government to fill up its tax income

yet another stop-gap measure in 70 years of mindless policy making. 

I know this is a dumb move on the govt.s part and just another excuse to fill their own coffers to coverup for their previous looting/ future looting plans BUT aren't we complaining about an increase you have to pay annually  that amounts to less than a single full tank of fuel ?

[gNaveendra]

On 1/18/2019 at 3:27 PM, matroska said:

 

yet another stop-gap measure in 70 years of mindless policy making. 

I know this is a dumb move on the govt.s part and just another excuse to fill their own coffers to coverup for their previous looting/ future looting plans BUT aren't we complaining about an increase you have to pay annually  that amounts to less than a single full tank of fuel ?

4

True!

It is merely a Tax. I too have concerns over the Carbon Tax in Sri Lanka.

1) By implementing this carbon tax, there will not be any benefits to the environment. Seems like other financial policies are not working in orders to raise the revenue enough, so that government wants to loot money from the people.

2) The money paid for this taxing system will not be utilized for the proper environmental restoration or after effects of the emission for which the tax is being implemented.

3) Regardless of the age of the vehicles (1970s), all the vehicles undergo VET system which ensures the emission from the automobile exhaust stay within its maximum limits. What the hell is the difference in between the 20 year old vehicle and the new vehicle in terms of the emission?

4) Diesel and Petrol vehicles cannot be compared using the same scale.

Edited January 19, 2019 by gNaveendra

[Crosswind]

Which of you naive morons believe that carbon tax is imposed to benefit the environment? 

 

[iRage]

On 1/18/2019 at 6:57 PM, matroska said:

 

yet another stop-gap measure in 70 years of mindless policy making. 

I know this is a dumb move on the govt.s part and just another excuse to fill their own coffers to coverup for their previous looting/ future looting plans BUT aren't we complaining about an increase you have to pay annually  that amounts to less than a single full tank of fuel ?

Yes....as I mentioned in a previous post, it is still cheaper to pay the tax and use the old car you want. 

I think the general disgust/complaint about the tax is not the amount but the fact that it is called a carbon tax and will not be used for any improvements towards our environment nor discourage people from using inefficient gas guzzlers or anything productive.