The classic car incentives announced in the Budget do not raise pollution concerns and are a “nice gesture” towards owners that take good care of their precious vehicles, according to environmentalist George Debono.
Next year’s Budget incentives announced last Wednesday include the removal of the registration tax on 50-year-old classic cars, while the annual circulation licence for classic cars is to be replaced by an administrative fee of €8.
The announcement seemed to raise concerns that these measures would encourage older, more polluting cars on the roads.
But Dr Debono described classic vehicles as “beautiful things” that are very well looked after and rarely taken out.
He considers the Budget incentives as “positive and a nice gesture towards car collectors who really look after their cars”. On the other hand, tax deterrents should be imposed on big heavy cars that use more fuel than smaller vehicles.
Environmentalist Edward Mallia said classic vehicles do not raise pollution concerns.
Prof. Mallia said there were not many classic vehicles registered in Malta, and he was more concerned about other cheap second-hand imported cars.
A vehicle is now deemed classic if it was made 30 years ago and is classified by the vintage classification committee. Out of the 315,000 licensed vehicles on Maltese roads, some 3,000 are classic, veteran or vintage.
Last week, Stephen Zerafa from the Federazzjoni Maltija Vetturi Antiki said according to research carried out by the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens, classic vehicles in Europe make up only 0.07 per cent of the total vehicle mileage, so their greenhouse contribution is negligible.
When the Finance Ministry was asked whether the classic car measures contrasted with other initiatives meant to encourage the use of energy-efficient cars, a spokesman said classic and veteran vehicles are part of our heritage.
“Every effort” had to be made to ensure the preservation of the few vehicles that have survived so long.
A classic vehicle owner, who opened the Malta Classic Car Collection museum in 2004 to preserve this heritage, confirmed that these measures encouraged collectors to restore their cars instead of scrapping them.
Carol Galea has been collecting cars for 45 years and nowadays owns 98 classic cars and 40 two-wheel vehicles.
He believes 45 per cent of Maltese families own a car that could be classified as classic, and collectors have tripled since he first started collecting vehicles.
Tourists are on the increase as well, and some visit Malta just to have a look at these vehicles. These Budget incentives could therefore boost the classic vehicle tourist market.