Romania delays enforcement of modified car pollution tax until 2013

The car pollution tax that was supposed to be enforced in January in Romania will be further delayed until 2013, according to the Environment Ministry in the country. Buyers of cars registered before 2007 will no longer have to pay the new tax. The delay was due to the high number of people with cars older than five years who want to sell them, and the Government decided to extend the window of opportunity, said Laszlo Borbely, the Romanian Environment Minister. However, other members of the governing coalition say a final decision is yet to be taken.

The tax, which has seen a number of changes over recent years, triggered concerns on the second – hand car market, as commentators said it would have increased the price of cars. Some protestors on the streets of Bucharest in the last 10 days mentioned the new car tax among their complaints. The planned tax was 25 percent lower than the amount paid in recent years, and for cars registered before 2007, it was to be paid by the buyer at the first registration of the car under the new owner. Romanians who paid the higher tax starting July 2008 would have been able to claim the difference back. The tax was to be calculated on several criteria, such as the type of engine, the capacity, the CO2 emissions and the state of the car. editor@romania-insider.com (photo source: Photoxpress.com)