Many blown on scrapping premiums – because of gap in the law

Maud and Linus Ek had decided that the next car would be an electric car. When a rust injury was discovered on the rear axle on their Ford Mondeo, they decided it was time.

In November last year, they bought a used electric car and handed in their Ford to the scrap.

– We probably could have got a decent coin for the car, but as the scrapping premium came, we chose that road instead, says Linus Ek.

They received a certificate that the car was deregistered and submitted an application for scrapping premium to Boverket, which was commissioned by the government to handle the premium.

The sum itself, SEK 10,000, was not much in this context because the electric car cost SEK 290,000 – but it felt good to do something that was good for the climate, Linus Ek thought.

« The fossil cars will be away, » he says.

When the government presented This is exactly how it was supposed to work. The premium would become the tongue on the scale that leads to scrap instead of selling old fossil cars. According to the government’s calculations, the life of the cars would be shortened by two years on average. If the grant was fully used and 50,000 cars were scrapped, it would lead to 200,000 tonnes lower emissions from traffic, according to the government’s memorandum.

DN has previously reported However, the interest in the premium is significantly lower than the government’s calculations. Until March 1 this year, only 334 premiums have been paid out. If you start from the government’s calculation, the scrapping premium has led to a decrease of around 1,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide so far. It is about as much as road traffic in Sweden emits for an hour.

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After reporting, DN has been contacted by several readers who alert another problem with the scrapping premium: a legal pit that allows you to be completely without a premium.

After a few weeks wondered Maud and Linus Ek why no money appeared in the account. Linus Ek emailed the National Board of Housing – and was met by a cold shower. A specific document, a so -called receipt that would have been sent from the car scrap to the Swedish Transport Agency, was missing for their car.

« The Swedish Housing Agency makes a decision as soon as the problem is investigated, » the authority wrote in an email to Maud and Linus Ek.

At the same time, another electric car buyer, Simon Claesson in Norrtälje, had stuck in the same trap. Last fall he had his old car out for sale and was offered SEK 12,000, but instead chose to scrap the car to make a climate effort.

-I also thought it was safer and easier to make a deal with the authorities than with a Blocket buyer. That was not the case, he says.

At the beginning of March received All of them the same message from the Swedish Housing Agency: There will be no scrapping premium, due to the missing certificate of the car scrap. It is not possible to solve the problem afterwards. The Swedish Housing Agency cannot make any exceptions to the requirement.

The Swedish Housing Agency states that over 70 people have become without a premium due to the fact that mistakes have been made with the receipt. This corresponds to approximately one eighth person who has applied for the premium.

Simon Claesson has tried to appeal the decision, but without success.

“The Housing Agency does not doubt Your information, but the regulation is unfortunately designed so that you as a private person are affected by the scrapping company’s mistake, ”the authority writes in an email to him.

– The whole thing is a café. It also feels like no one in the government really cares about this, says Simon Claesson.

In mid -December, the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning alerted to the Government about the mission in the legislation, in a so -called request where the government is asked to change the legislation.

“The Swedish Housing Agency finds it unfortunate that most applicants, due to current formulation, are losing scrap premiums despite the car being scrapped by an authorized car scraper and that scrapping certificates have been issued. The individual gets stuck without being able to do anything at all, ”Boverket writes in the request to the Ministry of Climate and Business.

So far, no change has been proposed by the government. The Swedish Housing Agency refers to the government for issues regarding the legislation. DN has sought climate minister Romina Pourmokhtari (L).

Read more:

Low interest in government scrap premium

The European Commission backs on climate requirements on cars