The French government refused to take into account Brittany's specificities regarding the kilometric tax on the vehicles over 3,5 tons - the so-called eco-tax. This new tax jeopardises the Breton SMEs, especially in the food-processing industry, as precised by the leader of the National-Brittany- Federation of road transport.

For the Breton Party, this tax is unsuitable, and there exists cheaper solutions.

The "eco-tax" is unfortunately not an environmental tax, but rather another tax to make up for the public deficit.

The reduction of CO2 emissions is a necessity, that lies within the logic of the Kyoto agreements, that the Breton Party approves. The aim of eco-taxes is that the person responsible for pollution should assume its cost that used to be supported by the society. It is the "polluter pays" principle that was invented by the British economist Arthur Cecil Pigou.

These eco-taxes are supposed to orientate the effort of the economic agents towards reducing pollution, and not overtax them ; they are therefore counterbalanced by a reduction of other taxes, as it happened in Sweden in 1988 for sulphur dioxyde.

But the French state, crippled with debts and deficits, lives beyond its means, and in France this tax is just yet another one, while tax and social security contributions are already far beyond the European average, and the incomes will be absorbed by the deficits, without any real guarantee of environmental investments.

Once again, the French state lets the private sector, especially the SMEs and the private citizens, bear the weight of its institutional rigidity and its bad management, to the detriment of environment which is only considered an alibi.

The Breton people especially concerned and badly defended

This tax that is going to be taken from our wallets whereas we are getting into a time of deep economical crisis, should be a burden for the economy and for employment in Brittany by creating a distorsion of competition to the detriment of the Breton people for many SMEs, who have a vital need for a competitive transport.

Estimations show that Bretons will contribute by 10 to 15 % (i.e. twice as much their demographic weight). A parallel can also be drawn with the repeated attacks against the free fast ways in Brittany as motorway transport should not be affected. There lies probably another try to privatise the Breton road network, whereas 70 % of the traffic is within Brittany.

Yet, the transport companies proposed solutions, may they be partial, but consequent and cheaper than the creation of a new tax: increasing the capacity of lorries from 40 to 44 tons, which would induce a reduction of road traffic of 10 %.

The Breton Party wants to thank the mobilisation of the professional actors but regrets the weak mobilisation of the councillors and of the political parties, excepting the Breton Party and 9 MPs (on the 38 Breton MPs) for such an important subject.

The lack of autonomous Breton institutions able of a strategic vision

Once again, this episode highlights the lack of a real Breton power with a real fiscal and legislative autonomy, as it is the case of many nations in Europe, such as the Basque Country or Scotland for instance. Only this autonomy can allow taking into account the specificities and interests of Brittany.

Much energy will be necessary to try to let the French state move back, whereas a real Breton power would attain the environmental objectives and maintain economic vitality at the same time.

This episode also highlights the Regional Council of administrative Brittany delay in creating a coherent strategy for transport, which is a key topic for the necessary internationalisation of the Breton economy. Indeed, the devolution of sea ports and railway competences does not seem to provide a response to these needs. In particular, the choice to use a debt of 1,5 billion euros to launch the high speed Le Mans-Rennes railway, in a period of economic depression, seems dangerous. The Breton Party reminds that it supports the creation of a real freight network in Brittany, linked with the European network and coherent with a maritime and sea port policy.

By showing its will to present candidates at the European elections, the Breton Party wishes to offer the choice of the internationalisation of the economy, that allows the nations who made it, thanks to autonomous and democratic institutions, to face better the economic crises, and most of all to get out of them faster.

For the Breton Party, the president, Gérard Olliéric

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