Oh well, petition reply
Discussion
No joy unfortunately but may be they have bigger fish to fry at the moment - nice reply though -
Lotuscartax - epetition response
We received a petition asking:
“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to exempt Lotus Sports Car’s from paying Car Tax (Vehicle Duty).”
Details of Petition:
“Exempt Lotus Sports Car’s from paying Car Tax, due to the current market conditions I believe the best way forward and to further increase Lotus cars sales therefore securing job’s both at the factory and suppliers’ alike would be to scrap vehicle duty (Car Tax) for these vehicles. Lotus have highlighted the need for change and have already produced Eco Friendly cars, I feel that they should be rewarded so a scrap of vehicle duty would increase sales and benefit all. Lotus are themselves a niche car manufacturer so this would not lead to a huge deficit in revenue for the government but would help sell these fantastic cars as such a crucial time preserving job’s.”
They said:
While the arguments presented by the Lotus Enthusiast’s Club (SELOC) are recognised, the Government does not feel it can offer a Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) exemption to Lotus cars.
Lotus’s role in advancing low carbon vehicle technology is acknowledged. The company’s consultancy arm has been engaged in collaborative technology development projects, with support funding provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council as well as the Energy Saving Trust. It is also engaged in research development work sponsored by DECC (the Department for Energy and Climate Change) on engine efficiency using next generation biofuels, and is part of two winning consortia working on projects commissioned by the Government’s Technology Strategy Board – the Zero Emission London Taxi Commercialisation project, and the Limo-Green project.
We understand that the company’s manufacturing arm has also showcased a one-off environmental technology demonstrator variant of its Elise model, although we are not aware of any plans from the company to put this into production. The company is also understood to have conducted its own development manufacture of a biofuel model prototype. In terms of electric vehicle technologies, Lotus’ excellence is demonstrated in the manufacture of the Tesla Roadster.
The pursuit of these advances is in fact the pathway that all prudent automotive manufacturers will set themselves upon. It is a sound approach that looks toward the future of the automotive manufacturing industry and is fully consistent with the Government’s vision to promote ultra low carbon transport over the next five years – see www.hmg.gov.uk/lowcarbon. Lotus’ consultancy arm is well placed to exploit these advances on a fully commercial basis.
A fundamental point of the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) system is that it applies universally across all cars irrespective of manufacturer. While there are exemptions for some cars, these are manufacturer-neutral. One such exemption is the classic car exemption for all cars built prior to 1973. So, many classic Lotus models such as the Seven, Mk 1 Elite, MK 1 Elan, and Europa are already exempt.
For cars registered more recently (the relevant date is on, or after, 1 March 2001) VED is based on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The point about this is that the lower a car’s emissions, the lower the rate it will attract over its lifetime. The principle behind this is that it helps to support choices of lower-carbon models within all vehicle classes – saloon cars, people carriers, four-wheel drives and sports cars. Reforms to car VED announced in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report mean that no car will pay more than £5 extra in VED in 2009. In 2010, rates will be cut in real terms for all cars emitting less than 150g CO2 per km. Furthermore, in 2010, new cars emitting less than 130g CO2 per km will pay no VED in their first year. The direction of travel in VED policy is clear – the Government will encourage the uptake of lower-carbon cars by applying lower rates of tax to them.
The Government is going to maintain VED’s application to Lotus cars, as it would be unfair to single out an individual British manufacturer for special treatment, and potentially contrary to European single-market rules. This is because a decision to forego VED revenues solely from this brand of cars would very probably be deemed a transfer of state resources, interfering with open competition between sports car manufacturers – a situation that is sometimes referred to as “State Aid”.
The Government has instead received clearance under “State Aid” rules from the European Commission for a package of measures aimed at freeing up lending to the UK automotive industry, through loan guarantees for projects over £5 million. Applications from vehicle manufacturers and parts suppliers (where their annual turnover is £25 million or more) will be assessed on case-by-case basis, and we are committed to ensuring that anything backed by the scheme offers value-for-money for the taxpayer, enables us to “green” Britain’s economic recovery, delivers significant innovation for the long-term, and supports jobs and skills in Britain.
Maintaining the application of lower VED rates for lower CO2 emissions cars is therefore fair to Lotus, as any automotive manufacturer’s investment in low-carbon technology is most appropriately rewarded not by a discriminatory Government incentive, but through customer choice in response to the respective emissions performance of different sports cars on the market.
(sorry - couldn't find original thread...)
Lotuscartax - epetition response
We received a petition asking:
“We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to exempt Lotus Sports Car’s from paying Car Tax (Vehicle Duty).”
Details of Petition:
“Exempt Lotus Sports Car’s from paying Car Tax, due to the current market conditions I believe the best way forward and to further increase Lotus cars sales therefore securing job’s both at the factory and suppliers’ alike would be to scrap vehicle duty (Car Tax) for these vehicles. Lotus have highlighted the need for change and have already produced Eco Friendly cars, I feel that they should be rewarded so a scrap of vehicle duty would increase sales and benefit all. Lotus are themselves a niche car manufacturer so this would not lead to a huge deficit in revenue for the government but would help sell these fantastic cars as such a crucial time preserving job’s.”
They said:
While the arguments presented by the Lotus Enthusiast’s Club (SELOC) are recognised, the Government does not feel it can offer a Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) exemption to Lotus cars.
Lotus’s role in advancing low carbon vehicle technology is acknowledged. The company’s consultancy arm has been engaged in collaborative technology development projects, with support funding provided by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council as well as the Energy Saving Trust. It is also engaged in research development work sponsored by DECC (the Department for Energy and Climate Change) on engine efficiency using next generation biofuels, and is part of two winning consortia working on projects commissioned by the Government’s Technology Strategy Board – the Zero Emission London Taxi Commercialisation project, and the Limo-Green project.
We understand that the company’s manufacturing arm has also showcased a one-off environmental technology demonstrator variant of its Elise model, although we are not aware of any plans from the company to put this into production. The company is also understood to have conducted its own development manufacture of a biofuel model prototype. In terms of electric vehicle technologies, Lotus’ excellence is demonstrated in the manufacture of the Tesla Roadster.
The pursuit of these advances is in fact the pathway that all prudent automotive manufacturers will set themselves upon. It is a sound approach that looks toward the future of the automotive manufacturing industry and is fully consistent with the Government’s vision to promote ultra low carbon transport over the next five years – see www.hmg.gov.uk/lowcarbon. Lotus’ consultancy arm is well placed to exploit these advances on a fully commercial basis.
A fundamental point of the Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) system is that it applies universally across all cars irrespective of manufacturer. While there are exemptions for some cars, these are manufacturer-neutral. One such exemption is the classic car exemption for all cars built prior to 1973. So, many classic Lotus models such as the Seven, Mk 1 Elite, MK 1 Elan, and Europa are already exempt.
For cars registered more recently (the relevant date is on, or after, 1 March 2001) VED is based on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The point about this is that the lower a car’s emissions, the lower the rate it will attract over its lifetime. The principle behind this is that it helps to support choices of lower-carbon models within all vehicle classes – saloon cars, people carriers, four-wheel drives and sports cars. Reforms to car VED announced in the 2008 Pre-Budget Report mean that no car will pay more than £5 extra in VED in 2009. In 2010, rates will be cut in real terms for all cars emitting less than 150g CO2 per km. Furthermore, in 2010, new cars emitting less than 130g CO2 per km will pay no VED in their first year. The direction of travel in VED policy is clear – the Government will encourage the uptake of lower-carbon cars by applying lower rates of tax to them.
The Government is going to maintain VED’s application to Lotus cars, as it would be unfair to single out an individual British manufacturer for special treatment, and potentially contrary to European single-market rules. This is because a decision to forego VED revenues solely from this brand of cars would very probably be deemed a transfer of state resources, interfering with open competition between sports car manufacturers – a situation that is sometimes referred to as “State Aid”.
The Government has instead received clearance under “State Aid” rules from the European Commission for a package of measures aimed at freeing up lending to the UK automotive industry, through loan guarantees for projects over £5 million. Applications from vehicle manufacturers and parts suppliers (where their annual turnover is £25 million or more) will be assessed on case-by-case basis, and we are committed to ensuring that anything backed by the scheme offers value-for-money for the taxpayer, enables us to “green” Britain’s economic recovery, delivers significant innovation for the long-term, and supports jobs and skills in Britain.
Maintaining the application of lower VED rates for lower CO2 emissions cars is therefore fair to Lotus, as any automotive manufacturer’s investment in low-carbon technology is most appropriately rewarded not by a discriminatory Government incentive, but through customer choice in response to the respective emissions performance of different sports cars on the market.
(sorry - couldn't find original thread...)
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