London, April 14: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is set to decide within days on whether to offer motorists up to 2,000 pound (3,000 dollars, 2,250 euros) to scrap their old cars, the Times reported on Tuesday.
The idea, which could be unveiled as part of a budget
next Wednesday, is aimed at giving a boost to ailing car
manufacturers while also reducing pollution by bringing more
fuel-efficient vehicles onto the country`s roads.
Germany this month extended a similar bonus scheme due to
its popularity, offering a premium of 2,500 euros for turning
in a car at least nine years old in exchange for one no more
than one year old.
In Britain, business minister Peter Mandelson is in
favour of a 2,000 pound a car bonus, but finance minister
Alistair Darling refused to approve the measures at a cabinet
meeting last week, the Times newspaper reported.
Concerned at the cost, Darling is thought to have
suggested that the car industry itself match a 1,000 pound
bonus funded by taxpayers, while also pressing Mandelson to
provide evidence that the scheme would work.
Bureau Report
