Countries Block Soot Filter Subsidies

2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 09:36

The subsidy for particle filters in diesel vehicles threatens to fail. The federal states are trying to pass the three-digit million dollar costs on to the federal government or taxpayers.

The initiative of the black-red federal government for tax subsidies for diesel soot filters threatens to fail like an initiative by the red-green previous government at the Federal Council. The submission will be rejected by the Union-governed countries, according to a letter from the Federal Ministry of Finance to the departments for the environment, economy and transport on Saturday. And the SPD-led countries "do not support the key issues paper".

Lower Saxony rejects it in principle

The finance ministers of Bavaria and Lower Saxony, Kurt Faltlhauser (CSU) and Hartmut Möllring (CDU) confirmed the rejection. "A clear no to this concept" declared Faltlhauser in Munich. «It costs the countries at least 200 million euros and is also environmental nonsense. Here, the owners of new vehicles with particularly low emissions are supposed to be burdened in an unacceptable manner. " While Bavaria has developed its own incentive concept for retrofitting, Lower Saxony rejects the promotion of diesel soot filters in principle, but on the other hand demands an obligation to retrofit, which the federal government must anchor.

"I am of the opinion that the taxpayer does not have to pay for this, but that everyone is of course obliged to drive a car that has as little impact on people and the environment", said Möllring. "The brakes are not tax-privileged just because you have them so you don't kill pedestrians." With regard to the obligation to retrofit, he added: "It's like a private heating system: If the chimney sweep comes and says," You are blowing too much dirt into the area, "then you are not allowed to continue operating it."

Hermann calls for an end to the "black peter game"

The concept of the Federal Ministries for Finance and Environment, which became known on Wednesday, on the other hand, addresses previous demands by the federal states for a budget-neutral regulation: A solution is envisaged that does not open any new budget holes in the federal states over a period of five years. The retrofitting with filters to ward off the harmful fine dust is to be funded retrospectively from January 2006 to 2008 with 300 euros. In contrast, buyers of new vehicles in 2007 should have to pay a tax surcharge of 300 euros if their vehicle does not yet have the future and more ambitious Euro standard 5 with built-in filter technology.

The Greens warned against continuing the previous "black peter game" by the federal and state governments. "The grand coalition of political objectors in the federal and state levels is wrestling with itself once again," said the transport policy spokesman for the Green parliamentary group, Winfried Hermann. "It obviously seems to be the goal of the financial politicians to postpone a subsidy law until it is no longer needed," said the Green politician. “It is an indictment for the automotive industry to still prevent the widespread implementation of an existing filter technology. That costs competitive advantages for medium-sized filter manufacturers and in the workshops Jobs, and it is an attack on the health of the population."

The number of filters is increasing rapidly

According to the automotive industry, three out of four newly registered German-branded diesel vehicles (72 percent) are now delivered with filters. That is three times as much as a year ago, reported the President of the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), Bernd Gottschalk. In the first four months, the number of particle filters produced for diesel cars rose by 240 percent to 450,000 units compared to the previous year.