The Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests, Barna Tanczos, stated on Thursday in Craiova that this year no form of car tax is to be introduced and a car tax will never be reintroduced again in the form in which it existed, because, during the last ten years, the state has lost all lawsuits over the car pollution tax.

“No form of car tax will be introduced this year and certainly no car tax will be introduced in the form in which it existed,” the Minister of Environment, Water and Forests was quoted as saying by Agerpres.

He said that taxation of pollution is not an end in itself to raise money in the budget, but is done to discourage forms of pollution, and this year Romania must decide whether to use taxation as a solution to reduce pollution.

“In Europe, in order to reduce air pollution through transport, there are 24 states that apply various forms of deterrence and three Member States that do not have any form of pollution taxation. Pollution taxation is not an end in itself, to get money to the budget, but it is a form of discouraging pollution.

I had a meeting with the six mayors of sectors in Bucharest and with the mayor general on the issue of air pollution, one of the biggest problems in Bucharest and perhaps in Craiova, and solutions must be sought either locally or nationally. There are areas where there is no air pollution, but there are also areas where we are in a situation of infringement, there are communities that can solve the problem locally, there are communities that may not even give their interest in solving the problem. Romania must decide in 2021 whether to use the pollution tax solution as a solution to reduce pollution at least in large urban centers, where we have the problem of infringement and where if we do not find solutions and if pollution will not decrease, we will not get away without Commission’s penalties,” said the Minister of Environment.

Barna Tanczos pointed out that air pollution measurement and monitoring stations will be expanded in all urban centers.