Guillaume “Zifro” Desrat’s former blog

Like powerful cars ? Leave France !

Filed under: cars — Zifro February 24, 2008 @ 5:21 pm

Since the beginning of 2008, there’s a law in France that gives you a bonus or a malus when buying a new (means : from your car dealer) car, according to the amount of CO2 it produces per kilometer.

If your car produces :
* less than 60 g CO2 / km : the bonus is 5000 EUR
* from 61 to 99 g CO2 / km : the bonus is 1000 EUR
* from 101 to 120 g CO2 / km : the bonus is 700 EUR
* from 121 to 130 g CO2 / km : the bonus is 200 EUR
* from 131 to 160 g CO2 / km : no bonus nor malus
* from 161 to 165 g CO2 / km : the malus costs you 200 EUR
* from 166 to 200 g CO2 / km : the malus costs you 750 EUR
* from 201 to 250 g CO2 / km : the malus costs you 1600 EUR
* more than 250 g CO2 / km : the malus costs you 2600 EUR

Note that only electric cars produce less than 60 g CO2 / km.
The government declared that the bonus will be financed at 100 % by the tax the malus represent. No need for a new tax.
This would ideally lead people to buy cars which pollute less. But if they do so, the bonus will be more important than the malus… how will the government pay for it without setting up a new tax ?

Asked for why the tax occurs only at buy time by the ecologists, Jean-Louis Borloo, the French transport ministre, replies that he thinks about turning the malus for cars producing more than 250 g CO2 / km into a yearly malus. Sweet… no :-(

Of course, it is necessary to protect the planet, but instead of proposing credible alternatives for everyday trips, it seems to be more interesting to tax people.
One of my colleague is found of cars. He’s considering affording a Nissan 350 Z before petrol costs too much. He comes to work by train, everyday, so he don’t pollute much. So why should he pay more for a nice car while someone with another one will save money for buying an “eco car” which he or she will use more and then pollute much more ?

What happens when you’ve just washed your car ?

Filed under: cars — Zifro May 18, 2006 @ 11:52 am

Of course it rains.