Lisbon, Sept. 22, 2026 (Lusa) - The Portuguese environmentalist group, Zero, argued on Tuesday, European Car-Free Day, that in light of rising fuel prices, priority should be given to people, with support being «directed towards reducing mobility poverty».
In a statement, Zero – Sustainable Land Transport Association – described the usual response of «across-the-board reductions in the ISP (Tax on Petroleum and Energy Products) and VAT (Value Added Tax)» as unfair.
«Total consumption of road fuels in the year ending July 2026 was approximately 7.3 billion litres per year, meaning that every cent of tax reduction would amount to around €73 million per year», in other words, «a ten-cent discount would cost the State approximately 730 million per year and would benefit those who own several cars or travel longer distances the most».
«It would be fairer to allocate, for example, €150 to one million vulnerable households – at a cost of €150 million – based on criteria such as income, distance to work, lack of public transport, disability and unavoidable dependence on a car,» it added.
The environmental organisation adds that «the remaining €580 million or so would make it possible to strengthen public transport, electrify heavily used fleets, support charging infrastructure, include on-demand transport in travel passes and improve logistics».
Pointing out that, although fuel prices have risen, fuel consumption and road traffic continue to grow, Zero also argues that support for transport operators, taxis, the fire service and social institutions should be calculated per operational vehicle or essential service rather than per litre consumed.
It also considers it «essential to create travel passes suited to less frequent use, particularly so that those who are engaged in remote working but travel to work on certain days of the week do not resort to using a car».
It notes that road traffic increased by 3% in the first half of this year, which is «the main observable factor behind the rise in fuel consumption», given that «the use of electric vehicles has been gaining ground, but remains limited».
Consequently, «Portugal is drifting further and further away from its 2030 climate targets», emphasises Zero.
The organisation estimates road emissions at around 17.4 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂eq) for the annual period ending in July 2026.
It also points out that «this figure, based on consumption, exceeds the reference value of approximately 12.0 million tonnes of CO2eq – which results from applying the 40% reduction target of the PNEC (National Energy and Climate Plan) to 2005 transport emissions and which covers the entire transport sector by 2030'.» PAL/AYLS // AYLS Lusa
