Words Dept.: entry

The author published this entry on Friday 06 June, 2008 at 6:23 pm. It's been filed in the politicscategory

Car tax: A sandal-wearing lefty gets irate

Is it possible to write about motoring taxes without coming across like white van man or a Clarksonite right-wing boor? I consider myself part of the muesli-eating, Guardian-reading carrier bag-recyling liberal set but I’m up for a challenge, so lets find out.

So Gordon Brown, in his wisdom, wants to increase road tax – or vehicle tax, to give it its proper name – on the most polluting cars. Nothing wrong with that. I’m in favour of this sort of thing.

What doesn’t seem especially well thought-out is that the policy applies retrospectively to all new cars registered since 2001. In other words, if you bought a car at any time since then, the government expects you to have had the foresight to realise this policy would be introduced in April 2008. In anticipation of this yet-to-be created policy, they seem to think, you would select a less-polluting car in anticipation. As I say, it’s not especially well thought-out.

As you might expect, there is a declaration to be made about my own car, which I bought last year and is five years old. Currently it costs £210 to tax, whereas next April that will increase to £300. That’s a 30% increase, which I had absolutely no way of anticipating when buying the car, however green I might have wanted to be.

The government’s argument is that we should encouarge less carbon emissions, and higher road taxes on higher polluting vehicles are one way of doing it. I agree. But, as a car buyer, you can only respond to the increased tax and buy a less polluting car if you know what the tax rate is. And, of course, no one buying a car between 2001 and early 2008 did.

So what am I supposed to do? Go and sell my car and replace it with another one with less emissions in order to save paying the higher tax? Maybe, but then the carbon creation involved in producing a new car is higher than the lifetime emissions from any car currently on the road. Shouldn’t people driving older cars be rewarded for keeping them on the road, rather than contributing to the carbon mountain involved in building new ones? As a so-called green tax, it’s about as effective as setting fire to the Springfield tyre mountain and attempting to extinguish it with molten lead.

This is a tax that offends virtually everyone: the motoring/white van/Clarkson lot; working mums driving slightly ageing people carriers on the school run; younger and older people driving cheaper second hand cars; and, of course, the green lobby. It’s got “10p tax rate fiasco” written all over it, since people aren’t necessarily thinking about it now but certainly will be next April when they come to tax their cars.

Unfortunately for me, David Cameron made exactly this point in Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, which , despite my best efforts, must mean I am a Tory. Damn.

The Conversation {5 comments}

  1. Robin 09 June, 08 @ 11:28 am

    This retrospective tax is possibly the worst idea I’ve ever heard of. How it qualifies as a green tax I’m not sure, as the very idea of a green tax is surely one that dissuades people from following a certain course of action: buying a new and polluting car for example.

    The real issue here is that it will have the effect of convincing people that all green taxes are simply a swindle. That’s what’s annoying – there’s a logical and moral case for increasing road tax on new vehicles, and (debatably) maintaining above-inflation increases in fuel duty. There’s no such case for retrospective VED.

    If Brown doesn’t drop it he’ll be finished. In itself it’s a stupid tax, along with everything else it’s the straw that broke the camel’s back. If he does drop it he’ll look weak and confused. Motorists, reminded by the increasingly strong and slightly sinister car lobby, will abandon labour for a decade. Great move, Gordon.

  2. Robin 09 June, 08 @ 11:28 am

    By the way, where’s this new cars-more-polluting-than-old-cars come from?

  3. Rev Stan 12 June, 08 @ 8:03 pm

    A good point well made but can I ask one thing? Is your plastic bag recycling to off-set the fact that you chose to buy one of the biggest and thus less economical engines in the range?

  4. Neil 23 June, 08 @ 12:43 am

    Out of touch politicians are using the myth of Global warming as a cover for huge tax increases. Let’s face it, if they were serious about carbon footprints there would be a solar panel on each new house and there would be a tax on new born babies, since they will all have a footprint of their own.
    It’s all just a swindle. Clean air yes but you don’t need to use the public, usually the poorest, to pay for other government expenditure. Wake up & wise up.

  5. sell your car 27 March, 09 @ 1:09 pm

    Very bad idea to increase road tax! Aren’t we paying enough nowadays to the gov?

Leave Your Own Comment

You can follow any responses to this entry via its RSS comments feed. You can also leave a trackback if you want.

If you're looking for something specific then give the search form below a try:

RSS Wordpress Grady (theme) Return to the Top ↑

No prescription phentermine
Cialis headaches
Order viagra without prescription
Get propecia prescription
Ubat kuat cialis
Low price viagra
Cheap uk viagra
Valium online pharmacy
Xanax street value
Viagra australia no prescription
Celexa 20 mg
Order cheap propecia
Prednisone canine
Viagra cialis compare
Online viagra generic
Cialis sample
Cheap brand cialis
Phentermine us pharmacy no prescription
Veldrol tramadol
Phentermine baton rouge
Cialis levitra viagra vs
Discount propecia propecia
Viagra rx in canada
Effexor and tramadol
Long term side effects of xanax
Woman viagra
What is generic viagra
Levitra online no prescription
Can clomid change your cycle time
Phentermine online prescription
Viagra sample
Viagra sales canada
Xanax extended release generic
Free sample viagra
Generic cialis tadalafil
Buy tadalafil cialis
Cialis order online
Purchasing cialis
Drug hair loss propecia
Online pharmacy spain
Vill pills
Brain snap celexa
Buying viagra online
Phentermine 37.5 mg with no prescription
Viagra for older men
Cialis generic best price
Viagra american
Viagra substitutes
Viagra like pills
Are xanax bars illegal
Celexa withdrawals
Purchase viagra on line
Buy online order viagra
Cheapest generic viagra
Valium side effects
Viagra soft tab
Levitra where to buy
Viagra toronto
Compare prices for cialis
Prednisone dosing
What is ativan
Cialis drug generic
How much cialis
Drug interaction percocet valium
Buy xanax without prescription
Compare viagra price
Adipex no script
Buy mg propecia
Connecticut accutane lawyers
Canine prednisone
Levitra dosage
Levitra dosing
Xanax dosages
What do xanax bars look like
Phentermine dangerous
How does prednisone help with cushings
Cheap viagra for sale
Viagra rx
How to use clomid
Viagra cheap mexican
Cialis 100
Taking viagra
Viagra generic sale
Levitra canada prescription
Levitra from canadian pharmacy
Viagra en gel
Levitra cheap fast
Best price for levitra
Birth control pills and xanax
Cheap prescription levitra
Tramadol pharmacy
Ordering propecia online
Weight loss escondido ca phentermine
Discount levitra pharmacy purchase
Levitra softabs
Cialis pharmacy
Levitra cost
Viagra through canada
Tramadol money order
Prednisone dose for cat
Canadian levitra pharmacy
Cheap phentermine free shipping
Viagra side effects women
Generic home viagra
Viagra cheapest
Viagra and penis expansion
Non prescription viagra online
Phentermine next day
Generic viagra in united state
Viagra pills cheap
Online prescription viagra tabs
Where to buy levitra
Medicine online viagra
Viagra 50mg price
Viagra profesional
Viagra mail
Adipex without a prescription
Free cialis trial
Tramadol next day
Phentermine pill online discount
Cheap herbal viagra
Valium prices
Best price on generic viagra
Order cialis without prescription
Kamagra uk
Viagra jelly
Cheap viagra fast shipping
Adipex dangers
Discount valium online
Buy adipex online no prescription
Propecia results
Drug ativan
Buying soma online without prescription
Ativan overdose
Xanax usa
Generic information viagra
Tramadol shipped cod
Cheap cialis australia
35.7 phentermine
Cialis psoriatic arthritis
Cialis tablets for sale
How to buy viagra online without prescription
Cialis injury attorney columbus
Xanax 10mg
Levitra for sale
Discount propecia online
Buy cheap levitra
Cialis for sale uk
Cialis reviews
Xanax and sexuality
Buy adipex
Phentermine without doctor approval
Cheap prescription viagra
Drug valium
Women taking viagra
Is adipex safe
Valium doses
No prescription adipex
Viagra without prescripiption
Libido pills
Do i need a prescription for viagra in mexico
Viagra cheapest uk
Where to buy viagra in beijing
Buy cheap levitra online
Phentermine urinary metabolites
Buy cheap viagra pfizer
Levitra cheap canadian pharmacy
Viagra next day
Generic adipex
Brand name cialis overnight
Online order prescription viagra
Buying viagra in uk
Phentermine obesity
Prednisone
Buy cheap generic levitra online
Viagra drugs
Free viagra samples uk
Xanax identification
Viagra on line canada
Where to buy propecia
Get cialis
Discount online propecia
Viagra buy in uk online
Mexico viagra
From generic india viagra
Is generic cialis safe
Viagra games
Female viagra cream
Buy generic cialis overnight
How adipex works
Indian cialis canada
No rx phentermine
Female viagra drug
Viagra from usa
Levitra online pharmacy
Mail order viagra in uk
Phentermine 37.5 lowest price no rx
Generic viagra samples
Online prescription viagra
Buy propecia no prescription
Viagra pfizer online
Cialis in canada
Flouride celexa
Cheapest price generic viagra
Phentermine 37.5 mg without prescription
Lowest price propecia best
Best price generic viagra cialis
Entrevista a soma terapia hip-hop
Can men take clomid
Phentermine ingredient
Tramadol medicine
Acting drunk on ativan
Prednisone 20 mg oral
Cheap cialis no prescription
Online viagra buy
Cost of viagra
Cialis prices uk
Tramadol no prescription needed
Viagra direct from india
Order xanax online
Doxycycline hyc
Buy viagra online inu
Cialis soft tabs online
Clomid twins
Cheap online purchase viagra
Absorption of rectal valium
Xanax and weight gain
Clomid ovulation signs
Discover viagra
Soma cod
Generic viagra review
Viagra buy online in stock
Want to buy viagra
Xanax ingredients
Cheapest online propecia
Free samples of viagra
Phentermine very cheap
Doxycycline chemical formula
Where to buy viagra
Cialis doseage
Cheapest generic viagra in canada
Tramadol c o d
Seduced amanda and viagra
Uk online pharmacies for viagra etc
Diet levitra
Ingredient in phentermine
Soft gel viagra tablets
Non prescription adipex
Order cheap levitra online
Viagra 25mg