Together Gibraltar has said that the GSLP’s “latest attempt at policy-making shows everything wrong with their style of governance in one, disastrous package.”

A statement continued: “This proposed levy was clearly done without consultation or professional input. The immediate backtracking, within hours of the policy’s announcement, shows that there is no strategy to improve Gibraltar’s traffic situation and keep up with the rest of the world. 

“This policy would have hurt the worst off Gibraltarians most, while doing nothing to safeguard our environment, tackle pollution, or to improve transport options on the rock. 

“This was a direct, regressive tax on working Gibraltarians, aimed squarely at those who are least able to pay and do not have the financial means to just go out and buy a newer car. 

“This policy would also have made things worse for the environmental cause it purportedly supported. For those who could afford it, they would have been encouraged to rush out and buy a new car, just as the import duty waiver did in 2020. Due to the greenhouse gases used in manufacturing cars, this often has a bigger environmental impact than continuing to use an existing vehicle. 

“This policy showed that the government continues to insist on making broad changes that will affect thousands of Gibraltarians, with no consultation, stakeholder management, or awareness of life on a tight budget. There are plenty of options for discouraging car use in Gibraltar that would actually improve people’s quality of life, and could be funded by those who have been raking in money from Gibraltar, rather than those struggling to make ends meet. 

"We call on the government to recuse themselves from this consultation and to give civil servants a proper mandate to improve transport options on the rock, in a realistic and fair way.”