Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests, Tanczos Barna, stated on Monday, in a press conference, that he is a supporter of support programs for car owners, but also of another type of application of local taxes in the case of old cars.

“The bans are very difficult to justify from a legal point of view. Romania has lost lawsuits to the European Court of Justice on car tax precisely because they, legally, were not properly substantiated. I am a backer of support programs for car owners and on the other hand, there may be another type of application of local taxes in the case of those old cars. They must, in my view, come in parallel. We must create alternatives for citizens, not just sanctions and bigger taxes,” Tanczos stated, according to Agerpres.

Last week, the Environment Minister mentioned that a measure on cars older than 15 years will probably exist in the shortest time, given that even the European Commission insists on measures aimed at reducing the age of the car fleet.

“Even the European Commission is forcing us to take measures to reduce the age of the car fleet. It is a decision taken at the level of the Government, together with the PNRR negotiation (National Recovery and Resilience Plan). The Commission recommended us to find a solution for cars older than 15 years. It is a measure taken by the Government to move forward on this line with transport infrastructure partially funded by the PNRR and a reform commitment in this area. The measure is now being discussed at government level with line ministries,” Tanczos told TVR1 when asked about a possible car tax.