Verbatim report of proceedings

Tuesday, 5 September 2006 - Strasbourg

9.3. Passenger car related taxes (vote)

– Before the vote on Amendment 25:

  Renate Sommer (PPE-DE). – (DE) Mr President, as I see it, this amendment is actually superfluous on the grounds that we rejected taxation on the basis of use when we voted on Amendment 11.

  President. That will be reviewed. It may well be the case. I would not venture to make an ad hoc decision now, but that will be noted in the Minutes and reviewed.

  Claude Turmes (Verts/ALE). – (DE) Mr President, I do think it makes sense that we should vote on this amendment.

– Before the vote on Amendment 1:

  Karin Riis-Jørgensen (ALDE), rapporteur. – Mr President, excuse me but I think we have voted on it already, so we can move on to the next amendment.

– Before the vote on the amended proposal:

  Renate Sommer (PPE-DE). – (DE) Mr President, before we proceed to the final vote, I would like to ask the rapporteur to say something. To judge by what I have taken note of, this vote has been utterly chaotic. At one moment we are in favour of taxing pollutants, the next we are against. At one moment we are in favour of taxation on the basis of fuel consumption, the next we are against it. At one moment we are in favour of taking efficiency into account, the next we decide not to. In the space of a moment we go from wanting to retain registration taxes to wanting to do away with them.

Perhaps you could tell me what to do now we have come to the final vote; I really have no idea what I am supposed to do.

  President. That would be an unusual course of action, since it is often, unfortunately, the case that votes are not totally consistent, but if the rapporteur were to give her opinion on the matter, I am sure we would all be much obliged to her.

  Karin Riis-Jørgensen (ALDE), rapporteur. – Mr President, I agree that it has been chaotic, both thanks to us and perhaps some other people here in the Chamber.

(Mixed reactions)

However, when I look at the end result, I would propose that we vote for it, because the key issues for me have been voted through. I am sure that when we go through it with the administration here we can check some of it and make it better.

(Mixed reactions)

The main items for me are important. I think we should vote for it in order to give the signal to the Commission so that we can make progress in changing this tax system.