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"Green"
Vehicles Will Be Cheaper Next Month
Beginning in April, the price of vehicles
friendly to the environment will drop
significantly with the elimination of the
Impuesto Selectivo de Consumo (ISC)
regardless of engine size.
Includes in the list of "carros verdes"
(green vehicles) are electric cars and
hydrids.
The decision of which vehicles will included
in the list of the tax exempt will be up to
the Ministerio de Ambiente, Energía y
Telecomunicación (MINAET).
The government agency will have the
responsibility to define which vehicles are
"green" enough to take advantage of the tax
exemption.
"The regulations will establish the
categories that fall within the definition
of clean technology and the procedure to
take advantage of the benefit. We the
regulations could be ready fast as we have
already been working on the issue " said
Julio Matamoros, vice-ministro de MINAET.
Currently only a select number of vehicles
benefit from a tax reduction of 15% and
limited to an engine of less than 2000 cc.
One of the vehicles termed "green" is the
Toyota Prius which with the 15% tax break
still costs us$41.000 in Costa Rica.
Purdy Motors is the sole importer of the
Prius and would not comment on the new price
of the vehicle, saying only that they are in
the process of calculating that.
Luis Mastroeni of Purdy Motors told La
Repubblica that one thing is for sure, there
will be a price reduction on the vehicle.
Another company that will benefit from the
tax break is Franz Amrhein & Co. S.A, the
exclisve Honday dealer that sells the
hydbrid Honda Insight. Francisco Castro,
marketing manager for FACO said that now,
with the elimination of the ISC, it makes
sense importing the vehicle. The Insight
sells in Costa Rica for us$16.000.
The tax exemption is included in one of the
articles of the new Ley de Tránsito and will
go into effect next month with the other
reforms to the traffic law that went into
effect on March 1, 2010.
Vehicles not classified as "green" now pay
an import tax of 39%. As of 2006, the tax on
"green" vehicles is 15%, but beginning next
month, it will be 0%.
What is a "green" vehicle?
A green vehicle is one that is significantly
less harmful to the environment than
comparable conventional vehicles. Green
vehicles include vehicles types that
function fully or partly on alternative
energy sources other than fossil fuel.
Another option is the use of alternative
fuel composition in conventional fossil
fuel-based vehicles, making them function
partially on renewable energy sources.
Examples of vehicles with reduced petroleum
consumption include electric cars and fuel
cell-powered hydrogen cars.
Electric cars are typically more efficient
than fuel cell-powered vehicles on a
wheel-to-wheel basis. For this reason,
battery powered vehicles are gaining
popularity. They have better fuel economy
than conventional vehicles but are hampered
by range or distance from a charging unit.
The electric car batteries are their main
cost. They provide a 55% to 99.9%
improvement in CO2 emissions compared to an
ICE (gasoline, diesel) vehicle, depending on
the source of electricity.
Hybrid cars may be partly fossil fueled and
partly electric or hydrogen-powered. They
are more expensive to purchase but cost
redemption is achieved in a period of about
5 years due to better fuel economy.
The benefits of green vehicle use are
reduced vehicle emissions that contribute to
the increasing concentration of gases linked
to climate change. Vehicle pollutants have
been linked to human ill health including
the incidence of respiratory and
cardiopulmonary disease and lung cancer. |
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