Minister of Transport and Communications Timo Harakka (SDP) has said that he would not favor raising the prices of diesel and petrol, according to Uutissuomalainen.
The news consortium said on Saturday that the minister provided reassurance despite a new report commissioned by his ministry showing that rising fuel prices would be one of the most effective ways to reduce vehicle emissions.
The magazine quoted Haraka as saying that many other measures are needed to avoid rising gasoline and diesel prices.
One of the government’s goals is to halve greenhouse gas emissions from transport by 2030.
Last week, a report by Aalto University, VTT Technical Research Center of Finland and Traficom of the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency recommended strategies to achieve this goal. The report found that halving vehicle emissions in 10 years is impossible without changing fuel prices.
Magpie said he supported increasing the use of biofuels and biogas as gasoline and the fastest possible production of industrially produced fuels in mandatory distribution. He also noted that the comment has also been split into a bill aimed at reviving the use of cash systems to remove old cars from the road.
"We have already launched a scrap incentive scheme to help reform the vehicle population and alleviate the current anxiety in the car industry," Magpie wrote in an email in response to questions from the newsgroup.
The Minister noted that it is also possible to compensate for the possible increase in fuel prices for residents of low-income and sparsely populated areas.
Modification: Updated at 18.27 on 18 October to reflect the Minister’s statement that he would not favor an increase in diesel and petrol prices.