It appears that 2014 is going to be the last year the program “Rabla” (The Jalopy), program supporting the renewal of the car fleet, will be organized. The Automobile Producers and Importers Association – APIA – says starting with 2015, the Ministry of Finance should rethink the annual contribution to calculate it according to the norm of pollution and emissions.
According to the chairman of APIA – Ernest Popovici – his organization will support the development of the Rabla program for 2014, but wishes this to be the last year it is held. He added he would like the program to start in the middle of February to take effect, not in June, as it did last year. He ended his official declaration stating that APIA does not expect great changes in the first cassation or in the volume of tickets.
The Rabla program was launched in 2005, and ever since that year, 460.000 jalopys have been destroyed and 216.000 new cars have been sold.
23.000 tickets were issued in 2013, 20.000 cars were destroyed and an estimated 11.800 tickets were used by individuals when purchasing new vehicles, while 1700 tickets were used by legal organizations.
An approximate 7000 tickets were lost this year, because they expired, which may be counted as an ecologic gain, because old, environmentally harmful cars were removed from the streets and were replaced.
APIA supports the change of the present taxing system right from the start of 2014 and claims the environmental stamp should be supported by an annual income tax calculated according to the degree of pollution, not the cylinder capacity, as is the case now. Popovici underlined that this tax should be calculated according to the degree of pollution, carbon dioxide emissions and vehicle age.