CO2 fines: National Council calls for suspension
POSTPONEMENT No CO2 fines for 2020 and 2021, demands SVP National Councillor Walter Wobmann. By 2015, the emissions of new cars put on the market should have been reduced to an average of 130 grams g/km. As the target value was not reached in 2019 either, importers will have to pay a fine totaling 78.1 million Swiss francs. For 2018 [...]
As the target value was not reached in 2019 either, importers have to pay a fine totaling 78.1 million francs. The figure for 2018 was CHF 31.7 million.
As the climate target has now been tightened to 95 grams per kilometer, these fines are likely to be even higher in the future. Especially for the current year. This is because new car sales have plummeted due to the coronavirus crisis, as the figures from Auto-Schweiz show.
Approval from 15 National Councillors
For SVP National Councillor Walter Wobmann, it is therefore clear: "The combination of a lack of income and the threat of sanctions, i.e. fines, is toxic for the systemically important automotive industry with around 86,000 employees."
He therefore submitted a motion that was co-signed by 15 members of the National Council - including Albert Rösti, Benjamin Giezendanner, Thomas Hurter and Nadja Umbricht Pieren.
Weak demand and supply problems
The request to the Federal Council: It should issue a regulation to suspend the penalties for 2020 and 2021 if the individual CO2 emissions targets for the new vehicle fleet of an importer or manufacturer are exceeded.
The SVP National Councillor assumes that plug-in vehicles will decline even more sharply than the overall market due to falling demand and delivery difficulties.
Compensation in the coming years
Walter Wobmann: "In view of the current situation on the market, the primary goal must be to build up the momentum that will be necessary to compensate for the current losses in the best possible way in the course of the current and coming year."
