Norway became a world leader in electric car ownership after earlier governments offered incentives for “el-bil” owners. Now many of those incentives have disappeared, and another one is about to bite the dust.
El-bil owners in Nord-Jæren on Norway’s west coast recently lost their exemption from road toll discounts. Other communities have withdrawn their own discounts as well and the national Labour government is letting it happen. That upsets one of its partners, the Greens Party, which wants incentives to continue.
Margit Bye, a Member of Parliament for the Greens, fears a reduction of incentives will not only lower electric car sales but also “destroy the confidence people have in climate policy.” Electric car owners also face losing a big discount on sales tax when they buy cars after January 1st. That’s led to a boom in sales before then.
Others argue that Norwegians who can afford to buy luxury electric cars can also afford to pay tax on them. El-bil tax levels are likely to be a major point of contention during upcoming state budget negotiations.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
