Germany's environment ministry has rejected calls by two of the nation's states for tax incentives to promote sales of low-emission diesel and electric vehicles. But the environment ministry, one of the hosts of the August 2 diesel summit, is rejecting the proposals. Horst Seehofer, the premier of Bavaria, has requested that car tax should be reduced for owners of newer diesel models that meet the latest Euro-6 emissions standards, while Stephan Weil, the prime minister of Lower Saxony, has proposed financial incentives for diesel drivers to switch to more efficient models. The German government is also considering a proposal from Bavaria to introduce an additional charge on cars with engines smaller than 2.0 liters, which would raise about 1 billion ($A1.06 billion) annually.
Germany's environment ministry has rejected calls by two of the nation's states for tax incentives to promote sales of low-emission diesel and electric vehicles. Horst Seehofer, the premier of Bavaria, has requested that car tax should be reduced for owners of newer diesel models that meet the latest Euro-6 emissions standards, while Stephan Weil, the prime minister of Lower Saxony, has proposed financial incentives for diesel drivers to switch to more efficient models. The German government is also considering a proposal from Bavaria to introduce an additional charge on cars with engines smaller than 2.0 liters, which would raise about 1 billion ($A1.06 billion) annually.