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Vehicle tax policies and new passenger car CO2 performance in EU member states

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  • Denis Dineen
  • Lisa Ryan
  • Brian Ó Gallachóir

Abstract

This article explores the causes for differences in the average CO2 emissions intensity of the new passenger car (NPC) fleet in member states (MS) across Europe. Although EU policies mitigating CO2 emissions from NPCs have been in place since 1999, MS strongly diverge in the absolute amount and relative change in emissions over the last decade. The authors employ a qualitative approach to analyse the factors, in particular national vehicle taxes, contributing to this divergence and the relative contribution of national and European policies in reducing national CO2 emissions from NPCs. The analysis shows that there has been a significant reduction in CO2 emissions intensity of NPCs since 2007 across most MS, compared with the six years previous to that date. This would indicate that EU-wide policies, such as the CO2 vehicles regulation, along with the economic recession in 2008, have influenced national NPC CO2 emissions. Generally, countries with CO2-differentiated vehicle taxes are observed as more likely to have achieved greater reductions in CO2 emissions. However, over the same period there have been many confounding factors, such as economic instability in the EU, that also influence NPC emissions. Using more detailed case study analyses of six countries, the authors find that there is scope for well-designed national vehicle tax policies to drive NPC emissions down further than the EU average. In countries with the highest success rate, such as the Netherlands, the design of the vehicle tax, as part of a well-aligned policy package, has been very important in delivering the biggest reductions in CO2 emissions from NPCs.POLICY RELEVANCEThe transport sector continues to be an intractable source of CO2 emissions. Governments around the world are seeking effective policies to deal with the increase in passenger car CO2 emissions appropriate to their own circumstances. This article examines the experience of EU MS with CO2-differentiated vehicle taxes in reducing CO2 emissions in the context of other national and international contributing factors. It should therefore both be useful to policy makers and contribute to climate policy research in general.

Suggested Citation

  • Denis Dineen & Lisa Ryan & Brian Ó Gallachóir, 2018. "Vehicle tax policies and new passenger car CO2 performance in EU member states," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(4), pages 396-412, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:tcpoxx:v:18:y:2018:i:4:p:396-412
    DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2017.1294044
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    Cited by:

    1. L. (Lisa B.) Ryan & Andrew J. Kelly & Ivan Petrov & Yulu Guo & Sarah La Monaca, 2018. "An Assessment of the Social Costs and Benefits of Vehicle Tax Reform in Ireland," Open Access publications COM/ENV/EPOC/CTPA/CFA(201, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    2. Lasse Fridstrøm, 2021. "The Norwegian Vehicle Electrification Policy and Its Implicit Price of Carbon," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-14, January.
    3. Mónica Meireles & Margarita Robaina & Daniel Magueta, 2021. "The Effectiveness of Environmental Taxes in Reducing CO 2 Emissions in Passenger Vehicles: The Case of Mediterranean Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-13, May.
    4. Liqiao Wang & Peter Wells, 2020. "Automobilities after SARS-CoV-2: A Socio-Technical Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-14, July.
    5. Jieshuang Dong & Yiming Li & Wenxiang Li & Songze Liu, 2022. "CO 2 Emission Reduction Potential of Road Transport to Achieve Carbon Neutrality in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-24, May.

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