Possibly counterproductive
The government intends to abolish the BPM exemption for new non-electric vans with effect from 2025. This has a negligible effect on reducing CO2 emissions, concluded business associations VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland on the basis of a survey among a thousand entrepreneurs. Abolishing the BPM exemption could even have an adverse effect on reducing emissions.
Just like the RAI Association, MKB-Nederland and VNO-NCW are of the opinion that electric delivery vans are not yet an alternative for the majority of enterprising Netherlands. The abolition of the bpm exemption (purchase tax) makes vans with a petrol or diesel engine about €11,000 more expensive on average. A survey conducted among almost 1,000 entrepreneurs shows that a total of 84 percent of the entrepreneurs will soon still drive a company car with a diesel engine. 48 percent indicate that they will continue to drive their ‘old’ delivery van and 27 percent will soon be looking abroad for a young used delivery van with a diesel engine. 9 percent of the respondents even intend to buy a new commercial vehicle with a diesel engine, despite the abolition of the MRB exemption. Only 9 percent of the entrepreneurs surveyed say they invest in an electric delivery van. According to the business associations, this makes the climate gains calculated by the cabinet very uncertain.
The survey shows that 57 percent of entrepreneurs believe that an electric company car is not suitable for their company for the time being. This may be related to the combination of transporting heavy freight and the smaller action radius compared to a diesel bus. VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland are also concerned about the price development of electric cars, because these can fluctuate strongly in view of the scarcity of the raw materials required for them.
Can a tax incentive convince the entrepreneur? Partially. 22 percent of the entrepreneurs surveyed indicate that an extension of the current purchase subsidy for electric delivery vans can convince them, although 64 percent still indicate that they would opt for a delivery van with a diesel engine in that case. VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland are also particularly unhappy with the government’s intention to also increase the road tax (MRB) for entrepreneurs. “SMEs are the backbone of the economy and these entrepreneurs also want to electrify themselves, but if the costs just pile up and there are no alternatives, that will not come any closer. That is why we call on the House and the Cabinet to work together on alternatives that accelerate sustainability and maintain the investment capacity of SMEs,” said Jacco Vonhof, chairman of MKB-Nederland.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl