Diesel tax petition passes 50,000 signatures and heads to Parliament

A Finnish citizens’ initiative to abolish the tax on diesel-powered passenger cars and vans has passed 50,000 signatures and will be considered by Parliament, Yle reported.

The threshold was reached on Thursday morning. The initiative collected the required signatures in about two weeks.

Initiator Niko Viinamäki, a municipal politician from Pori and a member of the Centre Party, says the tax is a leftover from a time when it offset diesel’s lower price. Diesel now costs more per litre than petrol.

The initiative aims to reduce transport costs for households and businesses and improve conditions for companies in the transport sector.