Wayne Griffiths (Anfac): "The great impulse of the electric car would come from the reduction of VAT"

The president of the employers' association of vehicle manufacturers (Anfac) has welcomed this Tuesday the Government's decision to approve a 15% reduction in personal income tax for all electric vehicles, although he considers that "it is not enough".

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
26 June 2023 Monday 16:39
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Wayne Griffiths (Anfac): "The great impulse of the electric car would come from the reduction of VAT"

The president of the employers' association of vehicle manufacturers (Anfac) has welcomed this Tuesday the Government's decision to approve a 15% reduction in personal income tax for all electric vehicles, although he considers that "it is not enough". According to the director of Seat and Cupra, "this is a measure that only private buyers can benefit from, when the large acquisitions of electric vehicles are made by companies."

For this reason, in his opinion, the formula that best promotes the purchase of electric vehicles is a VAT reduction. In any case, the manager has been very satisfied that the Government has approved this average in the current circumstances.

"In an electoral context like the current one, a minister finally keeps his word", he assured in statements to La Vanguardia after participating in the tenth meeting of Sernatuo, the employers' association of automotive component manufacturers, which is held this Tuesday in Madrid.

The automotive sector has been demanding measures from the Government for months to clear up the doubts that the population has when purchasing new vehicles. "This is one of them, although we are awaiting the fine print to find out if the ceiling of this deduction will be at the 4,000 euros that we have requested or will it be lower," said the president of Seat.

Minutes before, Griffihs held a talk with Francisco Riberas, president of Sernauto, before the partners of this organization in which both highlighted the need to clarify the future and clearly define the country's commitment so that consumers can make decisions with greater clarity.

“What is missing is a message from the Government that the car is part of the future. The doubts of the population must be cleared. To invest in the acquisition of a vehicle, it is necessary to guarantee that it will be possible to enter cities in the future, for example”, insisted the manager of German origin.

Griffiths has also called on the European authorities to take measures to prevent the dismantling of an industry, such as the automotive industry, which has been a leader for years. “Europe must adopt a “forceful and strong solution” to attract investment because otherwise they will go to China and the United States, which are heavily invested in the electric vehicle industry.

For Riberas, the measures that the Spanish and European governments must take must be “strong, energetic and fast. If not, the opportunity is gone forever” warned the president of Sernauto.