Cars that rolled off the assembly lines in 1970 pollute 50 times more than a 2006 model. If the older car isn't maintained properly - and most older cars are not - pollution is several times worse. Annual licensing tests do not necessarily lead to older cars being taken off the road because they pollute. In fact, the tests are more stringent for newer models.

The solution that has been put forward by the Environment Ministry is hydrocarbon testing as part of the annual licensing test. Emission of hydrocarbons can reveal the state of the engine and the ignition system. In the past, the Transport Ministry opposed the initiative on the grounds that the emissions test was not standard practice in Europe and that sticking to the European standard was sufficient. But last week, Transport Ministry spokesman Avner Ovadia announced that a committee would review the issue anew.

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Such a change in the annual licensing test would lead to thousands of cars being taken off the road, or to forcing their owners to replace the polluting engines. Will tightening up the regulations make it harder on financially pressed drivers?

"If we were to double or triple the licensing fee for older cars, as is the case in Japan, the answer would be yes," says Avi Moshel, the head of the vehicle pollution department at the Environment Ministry. "But in this case, most of the problems in the ignition system can be put right with a relatively minor repair that also leads to greater fuel economy.

"Sometimes the engine needs to be replaced, but what can you do? Everyone who owns a car needs to maintain it, just like you sometimes have to change your tires. If you can't afford to keep a car running properly - take the bus," he says.

"We have a serious problem with old vehicles, which cause the greatest amount of pollution," says Moshel. "A fifth of the children in Gush Dan suffer from wheezing, coughing and asthma attacks, originating from vehicle pollution. With people sick and dying from air pollution, you can't come to me and say 'Sticking to the European standard is enough.'"

According to the ministry, the level of vehicle pollution in Israel has not come down despite the fact that new cars are equipped with much cleaner engines. "The technological solutions just can't keep pace with the increase in the number of vehicles on the road," says Moshel.

Since March 2006, the annual licensing test has measured carbon dioxide emissions with the engine working at a high rpm. But all cars manufactured before 1995 - which do not have catalytic converters - are exempt from the test.

The scrapping program being put forward by the green taxation committee is aimed at striking a blow for the war on vehicle pollution. Under the terms of the program, the state will pay NIS 3,000 to owners of vehicles manufactured before 1984. The direct cost of the program to the state is estimated to range between NIS 25 million and NIS 68 million a year.

The problem is that the Finance Ministry is in no hurry to approve the outlay, so for the moment, everything is still in the talking stage.