Coalition agreement: no announced changes to the old-timer scheme

The government agreement of the new Rutte III cabinet was presented today in The Hague. With the presentation of the previous Coalition Agreement in mind, old-timer and young-timer enthusiasts will have looked with interest at the content of the mobility chapter. In 2012 the change to the old-timer scheme came as a thunderbolt in clear sky. In the new Coalition Agreement, changes for enthusiasts, owners and the industry were not yet made.

It became clear that the environmental zones will continue to play a significant role. The new coalition has determined that “by establishing an environmental zone and applying lower parking fees for emission-free cars, municipalities have instruments to improve air quality in city centers. A single system with clear categories and signs for environmental zones will be introduced.

Farewell to decentralization, but not to environmental zones

The positive thing about this measure is that the decentralized regulations in this file are being tackled. The fact that Rutte III sticks in on environmental zones and favors emission-free cars is less positive. Environmental zones do not work and in certain respects can even lead to more pollution. The size of the zones is simply too small to be able to establish a clearly measurable influence on air quality. In addition, zero-emission cars also generate particulate matter (tire wear, brakes). In addition, these cars are certainly not emissions neutral produced.

Car-free zones not mentioned

On the other hand, the fact that the new government is investing in extra investments for infrastructure - in several areas - can be seen as positive. A good partial investment could make an environmental zone superfluous and give a correct answer to the question of how and for whom the inner cities can remain accessible. It is obvious to set up car-free zones that are only accessible to residents and transport destination traffic. This has not been discussed in the new Coalition Agreement.

Alertness offered for interest groups

With regard to the old-timer scheme, nothing has changed in the presented plans. The young-timer scheme, which is particularly interesting from a business point of view, also appears to remain intact. In any case, it means that the peace of mind in this part of the mobility file will be maintained for the time being. Nevertheless, alertness remains necessary, as the four parties have announced that they will actually start working on CO2 emissions. There will be a national Climate and Energy Agreement that includes the objective of significantly reducing CO2 emissions. "Making traffic and the tax system more sustainable" is one of the starting points. In the long term, this can have tax consequences for the older, young classic and old-timer fleet in our country. It is up to the interest groups in the classic field to remain alert to political movements. From the outset, they will have to participate in discussions about possible tax and environmental measures with regard to classic and young timer owners.