Geneva: car tax angers the middle class. Editorial.

It is the story of a Canton which wanted to be a pioneer. A Canton which has decided to tax CO emissions₂ of its vehicle fleet with the great project of keeping only “clean” cars on its roads.

But when it was time to check out, the Geneva measure sparked a wave of anger. Obviously, this is not the case for the majority of motorists behind the wheel of a modern vehicle. But that of the remaining third who only has to pay before changing. Getting rid of your 2010 Golf – since the tax has been tripled – to buy another one. It’s simple though.

Validated by the people in order to counter a UDC proposal, the reform of Geneva’s vehicle taxation proves problematic in several respects. Firstly because it leaves the unpleasant impression that the population has not obtained the necessary information.

From single to quintuple

So yes, a list of models with the amounts that owners would pay was presented. But why not break down these figures according to the years of construction? At a time when we are discovering that the tax on a model can vary from simple to fivefold depending on its age, the question is unavoidable.

Then, the new Geneva tax system suggests that it is enough to sell your vehicle – who will buy it now that their tax has skyrocketed? – to become virtuous behind the wheel of your beautiful, brand new electric car. The middle class will appreciate it. The African countries which receive our wrecks also.

More serious, based only on CO emissions₂the Geneva mechanism rewards those who throw away to buy something new. A myth, that of the virtuous consumer, which ignores the disastrous consequences on the environment represented by the process of manufacturing a car.

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