SINGAPORE - Rebates on the purchase of cleaner cars will be increased by $5,000 from Jan 1 next year to Dec 31, 2022 under the Vehicular Emissions Scheme (VES). Cleaner taxis will have their rebates increased by $7,500 in the same time period, under the programme aimed at nudging motorists towards more environmentally friendly models of private transport. In addition, surcharges for more pollutive cars will also be increased by $5,000 for cars, and $7,500 for taxis, in the carrot-and-stick model. This will kick in on July 1, 2021, instead of the start of the year to allow time for the market to adjust, and will be in effect until Dec 31, 2022, the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a joint statement on Thursday (Nov 12). The authorities say the move will help to steer Singapore towards its goal of phasing out internal combustion engine vehicles by 2040. The increased rebates and surcharges mean buyers of cleaner cars will be awarded with rebates of up to $25,000, up from the previous $20,000, while buyers of the most pollutive cars will be penalised by $25,000, also up from $20,000. The VES scheme was introduced in 2018 to reduce carbon...