A group of Amsterdam employers are calling for the reintroduction of a bicycle tax to help pay for bike facilities such as new parking spaces, Metro reports on Monday.

‘It is crazy that car drivers have to pay for public facilities but not cyclists,’ a spokesman for the Amsterdam City organisation told the paper. ‘Before World War II, people had to buy a plaque and attach it to their bikes so the government knew they had paid the tax.’

Willem Koster said the council is already testing a modern variant, based on micro chips.

This will allow the council to identify and get in touch with bike owners and collect tax, Koster said.

Amsterdam City represents city centre entrepreneurs.

The city council is planning to establish tens of thousands of new bike park spaces over the next few years. This could be funded through introducing the tax, Koster said.