Design of a taxation system to promote electric vehicles in Singapore

Abstract

Electric vehicles offer a potential low-carbon alternative to today's gasoline-powered vehicles. In line with global trends, Singapore has expressed interest in promoting electric vehicles on its shores. This paper investigates the effects of taxation, namely tax rebates and carbon taxes, on the penetration of electric vehicles in Singapore. A consumer vehicular preference model was constructed using the logit model, and the effects on the economy determined through an input-output analysis. Multi-objective optimization is then used to find the optimal tax rate. Results indicate that a tax rebate minimizes the negative impact on the economy at a low penetration rate of electric vehicles, whereas a carbon tax minimizes the negative impact on GDP at a high penetration rate of above 60%. © IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2013.