On April 3, 2017, the Zurich Cantonal Council decided by 109 YES to 65 NO with 0 abstentions to approve parliamentary initiative no. 147b/2014 "Traffic taxes on veteran vehicles" of 23.06.2014 by Bruno Amacker (SVP) and co-signatory Roland Scheck (SVP) and to pass this amendment to the law against the will of left-wing politicians. The Greens were in favor, as they rightly classify veteran vehicles as cultural assets.
Proper taxation at last!
The reason for the initiative: veteran vehicles are usually driven a maximum of 500 to 1000 km per year. Consequently, the prohibitively high taxes in the canton of Zurich since the last revision of the law (01.01.2014) must be reduced. The tax is largely and still based on over 80 years of engine capacity taxation! The benchmark was the taxation of tractors, which pollute the roads to at least the same extent.
The new regulation now stipulates that vehicles with veteran registration will only pay between 200 and 400 francs per year. The regulation is due to come into force on January 1, 2018 at the latest. The consequences of the new regulation using a few examples:
| Make/type (examples) | Cubic capacity ccm | Taxes before CHF | Taxes new CHF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Corvette C3 1975 | 5737 | 1418 | up to 400 |
| Lincoln Continental 1964 | 7045 | 2648 | up to 400 |
| Mercedes-Benz 560 SEC 1986 | 5544 | 1568 | up to 400 |
| Cadillac 62 Convertible 1951 | 5425 | 1480 | up to 400 |
| Aston Martin V8 Saloon 1975 | 5340 | 1298 | up to 400 |
The saving is obvious and justified. Anyone who has a large-volume veteran's vehicle has had to pay tax on it up to now - in the case of a change plate - even if only a two-liter or even a hybrid vehicle was driven in everyday life, for example.
This could take on almost unbearable proportions when you think of an American La France with a displacement of 14 liters, for example. It also led to classic car collectors moving their vehicles or even their place of residence to other cantons with fairer regulations.
"You'll never get away with it"
I had repeatedly raised this issue in the classic car scene, but nobody wanted to get involved. The project had no chance of success, it would never get through, if only because of the envy component. On March 14, 2014, I drew up a draft and sent it to my friend, Cantonal Councillor Hans-Peter Amrein SVP, asking him to take care of it, which he did successfully. Hans-Peter Amrein, Bruno Amacker and Roland Scheck deserve the thanks of the many veteran vehicle owners in the canton of Zurich, as do the 106 other members of the cantonal council who voted in favor.
The author Mike Dreher is President of the Auto Allianz Foundation and former National Councillor of the Autopartei and, of course, a classic car enthusiast.
