Smelly Media: Taxation is not encouragement: Exhibit A: Cars

Increasingly older cars on Finnish roads

The average age of cars owned by Finns is threatening to exceed 12 years
during 2011. Despite car sales getting more brisk, cars are being replaced
so slowly that, at the current rate, it will be impossible to reach the
climate targets of 2020.

Now,

The winters here are below -20.
The roads icy, the turns slippery.
The cars break down, the towns can be far apart.
Moose and deer share the highways with motorists.

Yet, the problem is not that the people should be driving in safer cars with better brakes, better heating, more security, more reliability, less risk of breaking down in the middle of nowhere at -30;

The problem is the climate targets.

The climate targets set by scientists/politicians/greasy hands whose misdoings have been long publicised in their game with their data. Climate targets set by people who were howling about Global Warming, then suddenly switched to Climate Change, and now are warning about Global Warming in a coming Ice Age....; people who are too precious to fly commercial airlines.

Meanwhile the 2020 climate targets largely depend on car renewal.

“Emissions regulations would require a renewal rate of seven percent, which
means about 140,000 cars per year,” says Maria Rautavirta from the Ministry
of Transport and Communications. “This sales target hasn’t quite been
reached on the part of new cars.” 

Wonder why...

First you tax people from half their income, then tax them again when they buy food, and then double the tax on cars, so that the most basic car costs way more than central europe, and the second hand market sucks a$$.

The difference in car price, gotten from the companies' websites:

Toyota Prius:

Germany : 26.000
Finland : 32.000

VW Passat 2.0

Germany : 37.000
Finland : 44.000

But this is not the whole picture. For one, these are average cars, nothing fancy or strong. A 2.0 Passat CC for example is sold for 36.000 in Germany, in Finland it is 50.000... Same for Volvos, Mercedes's, BMWs, etc.

Additionally, the second hand market is the other problem.

From nettiauto and autscout24,

A Honda Accord 2.0 Elegance, Gasoline, Manual Gear, Year 2010, and around 25.000 km.

Finnish price: 30.000 euros;
German price: under 20.000.

So,

First you tax people to hell on their cars, and everything else;
Then people cannot afford to renew their cars,
And then you complain that people are driving old cars.
You complain from an environmental standpoint, not the safety of fathers, mothers and children; and elk, and moose and deer.
And then you suggest..............more..........tax...
Oh, nevermind that taking the train is the same price as driving the car even with no passengers besides the driver; totally screwing the population on public transport also.

Typical.

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