Anneleen Van Bossuyt: “This is not a climate pact, but a tax tsunami of over 10 billion”

14 March 2019

“This is not a climate pact, but a tax tsunami with over 10 billion in new taxes. The working middle class and the socially vulnerable will be the ones footing the bill for this.” Anneleen Van Bossuyt reacts with concern to the climate pact that Groen proposed this morning.

Bill footed by Flemish families

The ecological party, Groen, proposed an arsenal of tax measures today as part of its climate plan. For example, Groen wants to raise billions from company cars, with a kilometre-based charge and with three new taxes on flights. For families, the excise duties on fuel oil go up, as do taxes on various different forms of professional diesel and fuel oil. “The taxes on flights will make the average flight 80 euros more expensive and therefore make a holiday by air unaffordable for many families. Employees with a company car are going to have to cough up hundreds of euros a month. In addition, the 600,000 Flemish families who heat their homes with central heating systems fired by fuel oil will see their bill go up,” says Anneleen Van Bossuyt, the lead parliamentary candidate for East Flanders.

Social bloodbath

As for the plans regarding emission rights, the energy cost of the major users and the new CO2 tax, they are an economic attack on our steel and chemical industry. In those sectors, which today employ 100,000 people, a social bloodbath is to be expected, fears Anneleen Van Bossuyt: “Groen wants to impose over two billion in new costs on these companies. These companies - which today are already the cleanest in the world - will relocate to countries where the regulations are less strict. That means a massive loss of jobs in our vital economic sectors.”

Unrealistic renovation

The budgets provided for extra renovation also fall short, says Anneleen Van Bossuyt: “Groen provides for a couple of thousand euros per renovation, while we all know that such projects cost many tens of thousands of euros.”

Tax tsunami

“Finally Groen is revealing its numbers. This is not a climate plan, but a tax tsunami with over 10 billion in new taxes. This is an attack on the purchasing power of our working middle class and the most vulnerable, and will be a social drama for our industry. The benefit for the climate from all these taxes remains extremely dubious. That is very unfortunate,” says MEP Anneleen Van Bossuyt.

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