Germany could get CO₂ bonus/malus system starting in 2009

Although more focused on rejuvenating car sales than protecting the environment, Germany has decided on new measures to promote greener cars. Currently, the measure is not yet fully defined, but this is what Federal Minister of Environmental Affairs Siegmar Gabriel has announced: Some vehicles are going to be exempted from taxes for two years (starting in 2009) to stimulate the market. This isn't an easy measure to adopt because, since Germany is a federal country, each Land (state) has its own legislation. This means that the Federal Government will need to compensate the Lands with other tax monies. There's also the question of which cars will benefit from the exemption and if polluting cars will be hit with a tax penalty. This is a delicate question in the country where some highways have no speed limits and the domestic auto industry builds a lot of powerful vehicles to take advantage of those roads.

[Source: Auto News]