Germany lost 1.2 billion euros in motor vehicle taxes due to false emissions ratings - report

The divergence between type-approval and real-world emission values cost Germany 1.2 billion euros in lost motor vehicle tax revenues in 2016, according to a report by the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament. This corresponds to 13 percent of the total motor vehicle tax revenues of that year. “The majority of EU member countries levy motor vehicles taxes based on type approval CO₂ emission values, which turn out to be a seriously flawed tax base,” write the Greens. In the 11 European countries under consideration by the report, tax revenues from car registration and ownership would have been more than 10 billion euros higher in 2016 if CO₂ is based on true emission values.

Find the report in English here and read an article in Süddeutsche Zeitung in German here.

Find background in the CLEW article Why the German diesel summit matters for climate and energy.