Today's Rant Topic

[RAP72]

Road tax will double for 1.2m drivers
By Robert Winnett, Deputy Political Editor
Last Updated: 2:28AM BST 01/05/2008
More than one million drivers face having their annual road tax doubled after changes introduced by Alistair Darling in the Budget, figures show.
Motorists with family cars, including models of the Renault Espace, Vauxhall Zafira and Ford Galaxy, will see their road tax rise from xxx£210 this year to between xxx£430 and xxx£455 in 2010 under the plans.
Drivers of family saloons, including Ford Mondeos, face a 50 per cent rise. In total, the number of cars in the highest bands will increase more than five-fold to 1.64 million within the next two years.
The rise is largely because of an unannounced change in the rules that means an estimated 1.2 million owners of cars bought before 2006 can be taxed at the highest rate.
The Government will raise more than xxx£1 billion from the move, which has been described as the "ultimate stealth tax".
The figures undermine claims from the Chancellor that the changes to the system of vehicle excise duty would not affect the majority of motorists.
Downing Street aides are thought to be growing increasingly alarmed at the number of losers from the car tax shake-up.
The Tories believe that the proposal will be the next to be scrapped following the climbdown over the abolition of the 10p tax rate last month.
On Wednesday night, Justine Greening, a shadow Treasury minister, said: "By 2010, 1.2 million drivers will have seen their vehicle excise duty double. Many of the worst hit may well be families who simply can't afford to change cars regularly.
"This is duplicity from the Treasury who deliberately failed to make any mention of this dramatic doubling of VED hitting so many drivers at the time of the Budget."
Under the scheme, cars will be divided into 13 groups depending on their CO2 emissions. Annual road tax will then be charged in 2009 at up to xxx£440 for cars such as Jaguars, Range Rovers and even some people carriers emitting more than 255g of CO2 per kilometre. The most expensive tax band will cost xxx£455 in 2010.
Cars producing less than 100g will not be taxed. However, the figures show that only 406 people will benefit from the zero-tax band.
At present, there are seven bands, with the least green vehicles paying a maximum of xxx£400. However, the top band applies only to cars purchased after March 2006. The maximum that can be levied on cars bought before then is xxx£210.
Over the next two years, the maximum levied on cars bought before 2006 will be lifted, pushing hundreds of thousands of vehicles into the top tax bands.
Some family cars will move up several bands and an estimated 1.2 million people will see their tax bills double.
Paul Watters, of the AA, said: "The Government presented the changes as a means of influencing people's purchasing decisions, but it turns out that they are also penalising hard-pressed families who have been running the same car for many years.''

[schumijoe]

As with the 10p tax fiasco the vast majority of the population will forget about this until it happens and then it will be too late.

Joe

[londonlad]

Im starting to lean towards selling my modern daily driver and getting another tax free classic to run around in.

Then Ill be smiling on both sides of my face when I go to collect my 'free' tax discs from the post office!

As a great man once said "That'll learn em!!"

Regards

Richard

[Julian_S]

As a great man once said "That'll learn em!!"

Regards

Richard

Don't forget and start the ball rolling by voting Red Ken out of office today - that'll be a huge blow to Labour.


Julian.

[colin7673]

And do you really think it will be any different when the next lot get in, will they change the road tax for cars to a better a fair system?.... I think not.

Agian I've said this before on here.. What do we do about it?

[Wallace]

And do you really think it will be any different when the next lot get in, will they change the road tax for cars to a better a fair system?.... I think not.

Agian I've said this before on here.. What do we do about it?

We simply complain then comply Colin, ocasionally we throw bottles then comply. I don't see why it would be any different under a Conservative Government.

Hmm......Didn't we throw bottles then comply under Conservative rule? I think I have spotted a pattern emerging.

Mike

[londonlad]

Unfortunately I no longer hold voting rights for London now that I live in the country!

Rest assured I have mentioned this to my city dwelling buddies!

[Richie]

As per usual, thsi has been dressed up as 'green' - but even the environmentalists argue that it is environmentally sound to keep using an older car, given the environmental impact of producing a new replacement car every few years...like many such taxes, this has no 'green' basis whatsoever and is founded simply on a need to raise cash quickly and easily - once again easy target motorists find themeselves in the cross hairs...

[stevej]

Good Idea to use a classic on a daily basis.

This is my daily driver a 1972 Range Rover,?100 per year fully comp. zero tax and running on lpg at 42p per litre and 60 plus miles a day.

Painted with a roller in desert sand matt at ?3 a gallon I find that parking at Tescos gives me at least one clear space each side !!

Its my two fingers at the government , but how long it will last .....who knows ???

SteveJ

[Julian_S]

Good Idea to use a classic on a daily basis.

This is my daily driver a 1972 Range Rover,xxx£100 per year fully comp. zero tax and running on lpg at 42p per litre and 60 plus miles a day.

Painted with a roller in desert sand matt at xxx£3 a gallon I find that parking at Tescos gives me at least one clear space each side !!

Its my two fingers at the government , but how long it will last .....who knows ???

SteveJ

]

That's a great machine Steve, you may find this funny:

http://glumbert.com/media/fckearth

Julian.

[Moss_Isley]

Thought the Americans didn't do irony!.

Justin

[funnycar]

Stevej,

Will you be at Gaydon this weekend?

[stevej]

Hi Jim,
Gaydons big Landrover Event was on my list for this year but its a work weekend for me.
How is GWJ coming along???
Ready for Sandwell I hope !!

SteveJ

[chris g]

COME ON BORIS. LETS KICK RED KENS BIG HAIRY ARSE

[Julian_S]

COME ON BORIS. LETS KICK RED KENS BIG HAIRY ARSE

Boris has listened to you

Julian.