BPM stands for Belasting van personenauto’s en motorrijwielen (motor vehicle tax) and was introduced in 1993. If you buy a car, motorcycle or delivery van in the Netherlands, or officially bring in a vehicle from abroad, you have to pay. The BPM rate on a new car is around 45% of the net list value, netting the treasury over €3bn a year. In 2009, the tax on environmentally-efficient cars was slashed to encourage greener driving.