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CSE demands imposition of cess on diesel cars

Special Correspondent

Seeks incentives for public transport buses that pollute less

NEW DELHI: The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), on Thursday, demanded imposition of environment cess on diesel cars in order to discourage the use of such vehicles. It also sought incentives for public transport buses that emit less and use less energy per passenger.

Addressing a press conference here, CSE associate director, Anumita Roychoudhary said according to CSE's new study on fuel economy in the transport sector, India could see a worsening of the energy crisis if urgent tax corrections in the coming Union Budget are not introduced to avert oil guzzling, dieselisation and pollution.

It has also submitted to the Finance Minister, P. Chidambaram a number of suggestions for discouraging the use of diesel vehicles and for putting an end to the State-sponsored car boom without any efforts towards making cars more fuel-efficient.

Supporting introduction of environment cess on diesel cars, the CSE stated that this should be based on the externality associated with high emissions of PM and NOx and also the potent carcinogenicity of diesel fumes that has been established by international health agencies.

It also sought raising of taxes on all cars but maintaining a differential in favour of small cars and fuel-efficient vehicles.

Similarly, the CSE has suggested discouraging diesel cars without efficiency and clean emission standards. It said the industry is pushing diesel cars in the name of fuel efficiency but they were several times more polluting then petrol cars. India's most popular small diesel car is more than 20 to 30 per cent less fuel-efficient and 50 per cent more polluting than its counterparts in Europe.

At the same time, CSE said the Government should take a decision on either putting a stop to use of diesel cars or equalise petrol and diesel prices in cities.

At the same time, it suggested that fiscal policies targeted at energy efficiency should be linked to fuel economy of vehicles and promotion of advanced technologies like hybrid electric vehicles. The budget must link the tax structure to the fuel economy standards of vehicles, it stated.

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