Gibraltar Chief Minister u-turns on controversial pollution levy

Over 500 people protested against Chief Minister’s Fabian Picardo’s new pollution levy in Gibraltar on Monday, hours after the policy was announced.

The protest forced the Chief Minister to U-turn and reconsider the policy.

The pollution levy compelled drivers who owned a vehicle which is 10 years old or older to a weekly levy of £10. The charge could lead to citizens paying up to £520 a year of each vehicle, with increased charges for commercial vehicles.

The government aimed to funnel the revenue generated from the policy into a fund to tackle climate change.

Royal Gibraltar Police reported over 500 protestors were present outside No.6 Convent Place, the office of the Chief Minister. Roads were blocked with cars and bikes and protestors chanted ‘Picardo out’ whilst sounding their car horns.

Online and across social media, the policy was criticised for hitting the poorest the hardest, with it being described as “indirect taxation targeting those who can’t afford new cars”, and highlighting that the richest in Gibraltar who may own newer cars will be unaffected by the policy change.

“This measure exacerbates economic inequality rather than effectively addressing pollution.”, one Gibraltarian commented. Additionally, following the announcement, a protest Facebook page was created and attracted 4,000 followers in a number of hours, as well as a WhatsApp group to coordinate action.

Acknowledging the public’s “legitimate concerns” surrounding the policy, Picardo instead announced that the Government will, rather than implement the policy, request feedback from Gibraltarians on the future of any pollution levy and explore alternative options via a consultation process, exploring the best way to reduce pollution on the Rock “in a different way after deeper examination”.

Announcing the policy change, Picardo confirmed that the levy will not be implemented and a full consultation paper will be issued following the summer by the Ministry of Transport. However, fighting back against allegations of a policy that will hit the poorest the hardest, Picardo commented, in an interview shortly after the announcement with GBC, that pensioners, students and those on a lower income would have been exempted from the charge regardless. Although, in an official Government social media video, he noted that the Government had accepted that there were “consequences we hadn’t envisaged”.

Keith Azopardi, Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Social Democrats, described the u-turn as a “shambles” and reiterated the concerns of many Gibraltarians that the policy would hit the poorest the hardest. In a statement, the Social Democrats said “People were therefore absolutely right to immediately react negatively to a measure which was bad for working people, especially those on low incomes.” and accused the Chief Minister of “being out of touch with reality”.

For many Gibraltarians, the announcement only fueled their increasing frustration with the Government.