This is what the eight largest political parties think about car mobility

We have had many elections in recent decades, and more than once driving was an item that played a major role. Kilometer charging has been a recurring issue for at least thirty years, which, depending on the party, was either embraced or anxiously abandoned by the time we were allowed to go to the polls again. But this time it hardly plays a role. Despite the fact that we are in the middle of the biggest transition since we ditched the horse and cart for a strange gasoline-powered device. But despite the rise of electric driving and the complicated regulations regarding environmental requirements, CO2 targets and subsidy flows that go with it, people don’t seem to care this time. Housing, social security, a reliable government and asylum policy seem to be the main drivers. Even nitrogen and agriculture have again ended up on the hot plate. But traffic? Nope.

That’s not purely a coincidence; political parties know all too well what the focus should be during election times. More than in the years between the elections, the thermometer is well placed and it is examined daily which items are alive and which are not. And for a topic like driving, the following often applies: if it is not relevant, don’t bring it up, because it may only cost you votes if people know what you are planning. For example, ‘car party’ VVD is now in favor of a form of kilometer tax, to compensate for the lost excise duties on fuel (due to EVs). And even though the party believes that this should not lead to a tax increase ‘in total’, a kilometer tax is not a position that should be used to advertise large on billboards.

It is not surprising for a more left-wing party such as PvdA/GroenLinks that they want an early ban on petrol cars. Private cars should be reduced in favor of shared cars. Also not a position that will bring in many new voters from ‘the middle’. And proponents of this policy are probably already in your camp, so why make it a focal point? And so mobility in general and the car in particular are significantly affected by these elections. This is to the annoyance of the RAI Association, which is the representative of the automotive industry in the Netherlands. It is of course quite frustrating for a lobby club that the subject you have to plug is completely ignored by both politicians and voters. “It is unbelievable that during the election campaign it is about anything and everything, but this subject is scrupulously avoided,” chairman Van Brugger complained this week in De Telegraaf. An understandable perspective from the RAI, but you cannot blame politicians so close to the elections for not talking about a subject that is not high on the voters’ agenda.

Viewpoints

Yet there are certainly points of view about the car. Anyone who reads the election manifestos will automatically come across them. If you are a voter for whom car mobility is a hot item (as apparently applies to three-quarters of our readers), then be sure to take advantage of our summary!

VVD

The currently largest party in the Chamber wants to keep mobility affordable by ‘avoiding price increases and reducing excise duties’. Additional investments in infrastructure are required. The transition to electric driving must be stimulated, also for the used car market. They want to work towards a system of payment according to use (i.e. a kilometer charge) that will also be paid when using electric cars. The basic principle is that the tax on cars will not be increased.

NSC

Pieter Omtzigt’s new party scores well in the polls. The man has been known for years as a major critic of subsidies for PHEVs and EVs and this is reflected in his program. In any case, he is against a kilometer tax, because in rural areas there is often no alternative to the car to cover long distances. In addition, EVs, which, according to him, “have been heavily tax subsidized for years”, should contribute more to tax revenues. He also wants a limited excise duty difference with other countries, which would amount to a price reduction on petrol and diesel. He wants priority for major maintenance and improving unsafe roads.

PVV

Geert Wilders calls the current policy pure bullying behavior to fill the public coffers and does not want the motorist to be used as a cash cow any longer. The PVV wants to reduce fuel taxes, build more roads, no road pricing, increase the maximum speed to 140 km/h, no ban on the sale of fuel cars and scrap all environmental zones.

BBB

The BBB does not support mileage charging because it is unfair to people in the region who are forced to travel longer distances. People want to accelerate efforts to resolve existing bottlenecks in the infrastructure. Small-scale public transport, taxis, small buses and bicycles must be given a greater role in addition to regular public transport.

PvdA/GroenLinks

The left-wing collaboration believes that current mobility schemes, such as lease cars, travel allowances and subsidies for electric cars, mainly benefit high incomes and wants to see this differently. The party wants to accelerate the introduction of a kilometer tax that is location and time-related. The tax benefits of lease cars must be phased out and from 2030 it will become EV-only for new cars.

D66

D66 is also in favor of a kilometer tax that depends on place, time and type of car. This with an additional rate in urban areas. In areas with little public transport support you will receive a discount. They also want to invest heavily in shared cars: there should be 500,000 in the Netherlands by 2023. EVs must also receive subsidies in the coming years and an electric car must be mandatory in lease contracts. They also want to have an environmental zone in at least 50 cities by 2050. For freight transport, these should even become emission-free zones.

SP

The SP wants driving to become cleaner, but not more expensive, and is in favor of an EV-only rule for new cars in 2035. The party is against road pricing and wants the benefits and subsidies for EVs not to end up with people who do not need them. “This is to prevent people who cannot afford a plug-in car from being presented with the bill.”

CDA

The CDA is against road pricing due to a lack of options in rural areas, but does want people from outside the Netherlands to pay for it through a vignette. Furthermore, they want to adjust the tax rules for EVs so that they are less likely to disappear abroad in order to keep them affordable for the private used car buyer.

And now?

So much for the basic points of the eight largest parties. Naturally, every election promise is guaranteed right to the door of the polling station. But anyone who wants to learn from the past must realize that promises about driving are quickly forgotten. Change often has to be paid and the motorist has often been the first to be sacrificed over the past twenty years. Whether it concerns BPM increases or the abolition of MRB exemption for vintage cars: even with the ‘car party’ VVD in the cabinets, we could not count on anything.

There is one major exception this year: the kilometer tax. A solution that is gaining more and more supporters. This analysis from 2016 shows why, little has changed in terms of content. The dividing line in terms of opinion is very clear there. Now a factor is that there is already a law that was adopted in the summer of 2022, in which it has been agreed that a kilometer charge will be introduced from 2030. Yes, a new majority can overturn this law, but that is not how the political game is usually played in the Netherlands. If you continuously reverse agreed policies, nothing will ever be done. A government on the left will therefore continue this policy with ease. A government through the middle will probably also do that with some small compensations as compensation for broken election promises. The opponents will quickly victimize this point with this law in mind. Only if we go completely to the right will there possibly be a hard line through the plans, but even then it is best to keep an eye on things… Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it. Good luck voting!