TIRANA, July 2- The government expects to change the taxation policy on vehicles, whereby the more powerful the car one owns, the more they will have to pay. Referring to an official document, it is foreseen that there will be a tax relief on hybrid or electric vehicles as well as for those that are in the Euro 4 or 5 category. This is seen as a way to promote the purchase of new vehicles, as well as those that emit as little pollution into the environment. Specifically in the document it is said that a reviewing to the current taxing system for vehicles will be done, like “application of the tax for all vehicles independently of age, but proportionally to the level of technology and the level of discharges of the vehicle itself; increase taxes in proportion to the cylinders/engine size; gradually tax exempt the low polluting vehicles such as Euro 4 and 5 or hybrid/electric vehicles. Of course, this is suggested as a measure that will take place in the medium term and requires the engagement of at least the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Ministry of Infrastructure and Energy, and the Ministry of Finance and Economy, to come to a unified policy. In order to promote vehicles that emit as few polluting gases into the environment, cooperation with local units has been considered as essential, where municipalities will be required to engage in the installation of electric charging stations for electric vehicles. Similarly, fleet renewal will be required for companies that have one and provide services for urban transport vehicles, city cleaning and some other categories. To help reduce air pollution in the document, authorities are required to work to ease the distribution of low-impact filling stations (LPG and methane). Likewise, the provision of low sulfur content fuel and high quality (MS-level) fuel should be used in all means of transport. This will go hand in hand with increasing control over the testing of vehicle, buses and fleet emissions tests to limit and reduce particulate emissions and other air pollutants. According to Numbeo, the air pollution level in Tirana is 77.24 (high).
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