Car editor Niek Schenk answers: ‘Probably because the government sees little reason to do so. Because heavier cars cause more wear on the roads, it was once thought that the weight of a car partly determines the road tax. Diesel cars are in principle heavier than petrol cars. Although these days environmental aspects are also taken into account when determining the level of road tax. Electric cars, which are also relatively heavy, are therefore spared.’
‘Furthermore, the government will probably stick to the higher road tax for diesel drivers to compensate for the lower fuel tax on diesel. The excise duty on a liter of petrol is 83.2 cents this year and 53.6 cents on diesel. In addition, there is currently a temporary reduction in excise duty for both fuel types: 17.3 cents on petrol and 11.1 cents on diesel.’
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