Skip to main content

French government suspend Ecotax after violent protests

As this issue of ITS International goes to press there is considerable confusion over the introduction of the French Ecotax following widespread and sometimes violent protests. Following a series of postponements going back over several years, the GNSS-based tax on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes was due to come into effect on 1 January 2014 and was expected to raise one billion euros per year. However, the French government has announced that the tax has been suspended indefinitely but is stressing that this is
December 20, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
As this issue of 1846 ITS International goes to press there is considerable confusion over the introduction of the French Ecotax following widespread and sometimes violent protests.

Following a series of postponements going back over several years, the GNSS-based tax on vehicles over 3.5 tonnes was due to come into effect on 1 January 2014 and was expected to raise one billion euros per year. However, the French government has announced that the tax has been suspended indefinitely but is stressing that this is a suspension, not a cancellation.

The suspension was announced after France’s politically significant farmers joined the growing protests as they were unhappy about a ‘green tax’ being levied on the vehicles used to transport products from their farms. French newspaper Le Monde has reported that the tax may be postponed until July 2014 after local and EU elections but there is no official word from the government of French President Francois Hollande.

Related Content

  • October 6, 2015
    Thales shows MoRSE tolling solution in Bordeaux
    One of the most unusual of objects on display here in Bordeaux is undoubtedly Thales’ MoRSE (Moveable Roadside Equipment) device. The large white cylindrical box is in fact a mobile system of three technologies for tolling and road user charging (RUC).
  • August 21, 2017
    Cost benefit goes under the microscope
    Conventional cost benefit analysis (CBA) of plans for urban smart mobility initiatives needs serious rethinking, according to a recently-completed European study. The three-year Evidence Project (the Project) emerged in response to concerns about the availability and quality of documented research – including CBA – required to prove that investment in sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs) can be economically beneficial. Covering 22 sectors ranging from electric vehicles to shared spaces, the Project clai
  • June 9, 2015
    Ukraine turns to ITS to cope with traffic increases
    With increasing road fatalities the Ukrainian government is planning to introduce ITS technology in 2016-2017. Eugene Gerden finds out more. The government of Ukraine is considering a massive introduction of ITS in the national system of traffic during the period 2016-2017, according to a recent statement by the Ukrainian Ministry of Transport. According to the Ukrainian government, implementation of the project is an acute need, as in recent years the number of road accidents in Ukraine has significantly
  • August 20, 2015
    Promoting cycling is the solution to congestion and pollution
    Cycling offers health, air quality and road space/parking benefits, promoting governments and the EU to look at tax and technology initiatives. David Crawford reports. One way to improve urban air quality is to make green alternatives to car use financially attractive. Incentivising employees to switch their travel-to-work mode to using their own bikes could increase cycling’s modal share of commuting travel by 50%, a recent French research project suggests. The country’s government already subsidises pu