The Dutch government plans to place higher tax on high-emissions cars, reports suggest.

Junior finance minister Jan Kees de Jager is quoted in a newspaper as saying that the government also plans to cut company car tax on fuel-efficient vehicles.

Drivers who pay 22% of the price now could find it drops to 12% if they opt for a green car.

But green campaigners say the measures do not go far enough as they only affect 10% of the new car market.

The government wants to introduce the measures, subject to parliamentary approval, by 2008.