I know this is nothing to do with the Police, but it does make my blood boil. Gordon Brown wants to discourage people from using high polluting vehicles. So, from later on this year, the vast majority of us will have to pay more vehicle excise duty (car tax).
Now, I drive a 8 year old diesel estate car, which apparently, is a fairly 'high' polluter. The car is in quite good condition, but is not worth very much. I cannot afford to replace it, with a less polluting car, of a similar size and condition. If I could, I would have done so already.
This, policy sounds very good to environmentalists. Unfortunately, when you scratch away at the surface, you soon realise it is just another revenue generator. Let's face it. Many people are going to be in the same boat as me, and not be able to afford to change their cars. So, these cars are still going to be driven around, until they fall to pieces. Meanwhile, the driver's will still be paying more fuel duty to the government.
I can understand the sentiment behind the idea for getting us to stop driving high polluting cars. However, this should start with brand new cars, so you know what you've got to pay, up front. It hardly seems fair, to move the goalposts, once a car has been purchased.
All I can see this policy achieving, is more untaxed vehicles on the road, and you know who has to deal with them!
5 comments:
Another knock-on effect is the now extremely low value of any second hand car due to this obscene increase in VELs or, as my newsagent calls it, TBG (Theft By Government). The motoring column of my local newspaper suggests that most cars over 5 years old are now more or less worthless as no one will want to buy them. The writer suggests that if or when you look at a new car, ask what the trade-in value after 3 years will be (and then ask for that in writing). If it's less than 40% walk away and tell the dealer why. Perhaps a further knock-on effect will be the price of new cars coming down to allow you to use the savings on the new round of VEL rises.
Plodnomore
I'm not an environmentalist, but this whole thing makes me want to weep. I heard the BBC news reporter telling us that the government ministers were going to go ahead with this since they believed that it was important to use tax to change people's behaviour.
Retroactively taxing people's car decisions isnt going to make them travel back in time and buy a more environmental car. Secondly, IT COSTS MORE TO MAKE A NEW CAR in environmental terms than keeping an old car. All that steel, plastic, energy to make a new car means that your old car has to be appallingly bad in fuel efficiency to make it environmentally sensible to trade in. FFS. This government are STUPID, STUPID, lying prats. Even the greens have said these taxes are not green. Environmentally you want to tax new cars lots, older cars less with a hike for high CO2 emitters, but not as much as for new cars.
What made we start expleting at the news were some of the government "plans" to make this idiotic move more palatable. The government was willing to consider giving people more time to sell their cars. DOH. The second hand price of the car reflects the future tax burden. Therefore, the prices are already falling. Unless the tax is removed, giving people the opportunity to sell the car doesnt alter their economic circumstances one bit. And like Madmax, people drive the car they can afford. FOAD Gordon.
In 2005 I bought a 2nd hand X type Jag. When the car was built, Jaguar was owned by Ford and an X type Jag is a Ford Mondeo in fancy dress.
I will lose on the trade in price when I change it in the next 18 months and I feel that the goal posts have been moved and the rug has been ripped from under my feet.
In a couple of years time these cars will be changing hands for a couple of hundred pounds and all the villains will have one.
They will still pollute the environment(apparently) but they won't be registered, taxed or insured....
I have an 8 year old Zantia worth about tuppence. It cost £185 last month to tax. £442 to insure last December the 17th for 12 months, and £80 to fill the diesel tank in Antrim town in Northern Ireland for 3 weeks driving to and from work.
We have our own problems over here; but who voted them labour shits in?
By the way, where is my 2.5% pay rise?
I dont really get how they have worked this out, surely the amount you pollute depends more on the number of miles you drive rather than the car you have. If they want to hit the high polluters then they need to scrap the VEL and put the tax on fuel again so that those who drive the average annual mileage pay no more per year than they do now and those who drive more pay for it!
Having said all that, I dont believe in all this environmental global warming nonsense anyway and just see it all as another money making scam!
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