The Greens' mobility minister has made it clear during Wednesday's parliamentary debate that diesel drivers will not have to be afraid of any any punitive policies to reduce local particulate emissions in the short term, such as possible driving bans or special taxes.
Bausch explained that the coalition agreement instead included several other measures aimed at reducing car emissions generally as quickly as possible without taking controversial steps.
In order to reduce diesel consumption in particular, Bausch declared that the coalition would pick up where they left off:
- Expanding public transport
- A €5,000 subsidy on electric cars
- An adapted car-leasing system
Many big companies offer employees the option of leasing a tax-advantaged car instead of receiving money which would have to be taxed accordingly. It usually pays off most for employees to get a big, luxurious car, often with high fuel consumption.
According to Bausch, the sale of diesel cars has already gone down through these measures.
Bausch explained the diesel bans in Germany by saying that EU regulations force governments and cities to act if they exceed a certain emissions threshold.
Fuel prices are expected to go up in the coming year, as the exercise for petrol and diesel will go up by 1, 2 or three cents per litre.
