The government today launched the car scrappage scheme announced in last month's budget whereby 3,000 old cars can be scrapped and their owners entitled for a subsidy of up to €2,000 of the value of their new Euro V car.

The scheme, which opens today with the publication of a Legal Notice containing details, was launched this morning by Finance Minister Tonio Fenech and Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment Mario de Marco.

The car scrappage scheme was originally launched last year and the 2,000 target was quickly taken up, forcing the government to extend it by another 1,000. The scheme then had to be suspended when it was fully taken up.

Mr Fenech said this scheme had to be seen in the context of other measures the government was taken to reduce emissions, including the increase in registration tax for Euro I to Euro III vehicles, a measure aimed at discouraging the importation of old second hand cars. 19 per cent of cars registered last year were on this standard.

Dr de Marco said cars in Malta had an average age of 12 years and with 740 cars for every 1,000 inhabitants, a ration that was the fifth highest in the world after the United States, Lichtenstein, Monaco and Luxembourg.

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