Cars are like human beings. You can have a 65-year-old lady doing aerobics with a 30-year-old woman, because the former has kept herself physically fit throughout her life and therefore can cope easily with much younger people without going out of breath. I therefore suggest that the fairest mode to tax cars for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is to put a probe inside their exhaust pipes and measure the amount of CO2 given off from all cars immaterial of being old or brand-new. An old, well-tuned, small car engine should produce less CO2 than a new, monstrous car with a 2000cc or more engine capacity.

Many people are misled to believe that all modern cars are virgins! But what guarantee do we have that all the seemingly new cars on the roads are the same ones that left the factory or showroom two or three years ago? How many car enthusiasts tamper with their cars by advancing the engine, fuel injection and exhaust systems to make them more powerful (and noisy)?

Moreover, modern cars are fitted with catalytic converters which convert the toxic carbon monoxide (CO) into CO2.

Carmel Micallef

Fgura