In a humiliating climb-down, the French government ‘suspended indefinitely’ a green tax on heavy goods vehicles following violent protests against ‘ecotax’

The unpopular “ecotax”, aimed at encouraging environmentally-friendly commercial transport, was designed to impose new levies on French and foreign vehicles transporting commercial goods weighing over 3.5 tonnes.

Critics in Brittany said the tax would seriously damage the region’s precarious farming and food sectors by increasing transportation costs, driving companies out of business and leading to major job losses.