STOP RETROSPECTIVE TAXATION !
Discussion
Thought users of this forum would be interested in a post I have just put into the General forum. Its a rant, followed by a link to an e-petition.
I've never got angry about motoring taxes before, but after this weeks budget I am ! I have a Jaguar XJR registered in November 2001, which has a recorded CO2 of 305g/km. Consequently I am in band F currently and pay around £200 in VED. From 2009 though my car will be re-banded into the new top band of M and my tax goes up to around £440 ! My point is this - how am I supposed to change my behaviour as a climate criminal in reaction to this signal from the government ?
Should I use the car less ? No, in terms of VED it makes no difference if I do 40,000 miles PA or leave it parked on the road. Only fuel duty incentivises reduced use.
Should I sell the car and buy a Toyota Prius ? No. How does selling the car to someone else help the environment ? The new owner will still drive it and produce CO2. Its 6 and a bit years old and so should have at least another 10 years of life on the road, so whether I drive it or someone else drives it, the CO2 will be produced anyway.
Should I scrap it and buy a Toyota Prius ? Yes, this is the logical conclusion. In doing so an extremly polluting car is removed and the overall CO2 level goes down as the government wants.
However, quite apart from the economics of scrapping my car and buying a new one, the environmental arguement does not stack up. What people forget is that every new Toyota Prius sat in the showroom has already accumulated an enormous carbon footprint before its proud new owner even drives home. The CO2 impact of converting sand, rubber sap, metal ores etc into glass, rubber and steel, into components, into a car is huge. As is the impact of scrapping a car and recycling and disposing of its materials. Therefore the premature scrapping of old cars and there replacement with new will actually be significantly more damaging to the environment than letting them run there natural life. Whilst I don't like the new registration tax I agree with the policy as it allows consumers of new cars to make decisions about which cars to bring into the world - if you want to avoid high tax, then buy a low banded car - you have the choice. However,for cars already built, applying punitive tax is pointless, counter productive and betrays a total lack of understanding of the basic principles of taxation.
I think it essential that an unholy alliance form of those who like to drive so called 'gas guzzlers' and those that care about the environment to stop this nonsensical policy. SIGN THE PETITION. WE HAVE A YEAR TO FORCE A RETHINK.
--> http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/UNFAIR-VED/#detail
I've never got angry about motoring taxes before, but after this weeks budget I am ! I have a Jaguar XJR registered in November 2001, which has a recorded CO2 of 305g/km. Consequently I am in band F currently and pay around £200 in VED. From 2009 though my car will be re-banded into the new top band of M and my tax goes up to around £440 ! My point is this - how am I supposed to change my behaviour as a climate criminal in reaction to this signal from the government ?
Should I use the car less ? No, in terms of VED it makes no difference if I do 40,000 miles PA or leave it parked on the road. Only fuel duty incentivises reduced use.
Should I sell the car and buy a Toyota Prius ? No. How does selling the car to someone else help the environment ? The new owner will still drive it and produce CO2. Its 6 and a bit years old and so should have at least another 10 years of life on the road, so whether I drive it or someone else drives it, the CO2 will be produced anyway.
Should I scrap it and buy a Toyota Prius ? Yes, this is the logical conclusion. In doing so an extremly polluting car is removed and the overall CO2 level goes down as the government wants.
However, quite apart from the economics of scrapping my car and buying a new one, the environmental arguement does not stack up. What people forget is that every new Toyota Prius sat in the showroom has already accumulated an enormous carbon footprint before its proud new owner even drives home. The CO2 impact of converting sand, rubber sap, metal ores etc into glass, rubber and steel, into components, into a car is huge. As is the impact of scrapping a car and recycling and disposing of its materials. Therefore the premature scrapping of old cars and there replacement with new will actually be significantly more damaging to the environment than letting them run there natural life. Whilst I don't like the new registration tax I agree with the policy as it allows consumers of new cars to make decisions about which cars to bring into the world - if you want to avoid high tax, then buy a low banded car - you have the choice. However,for cars already built, applying punitive tax is pointless, counter productive and betrays a total lack of understanding of the basic principles of taxation.
I think it essential that an unholy alliance form of those who like to drive so called 'gas guzzlers' and those that care about the environment to stop this nonsensical policy. SIGN THE PETITION. WE HAVE A YEAR TO FORCE A RETHINK.
--> http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/UNFAIR-VED/#detail
Excellent points, all of them. Retrospectively taxing someone for a choice they had already made redefines punitive. None of it is proportionate either, twice as much VED for twice as much C02 would make sense, what really should be considered though is the usage, and the total carbon footprint of the vehicle from cradle to grave. But that means dealing with reality and truths that would conflict with the idealism, and they could'nt have that. Where are the REAL environmentalists? As there don't appear to be any, anywhere, at all.
I agree with all of the points. People never seem to realise the cost to the Earth of making new cars and getting them to market.
The flipside is that the motor industry is no doubt a powerful lobbier and large employer and that new cars pioneer engine research, which in turn leads to more powerful (and more economical cars).
Obviously there should be some equilibrium, but taxing on past decisions is madness.
The flipside is that the motor industry is no doubt a powerful lobbier and large employer and that new cars pioneer engine research, which in turn leads to more powerful (and more economical cars).
Obviously there should be some equilibrium, but taxing on past decisions is madness.
Skodaku said:
petitions are a complete waste.
Oh, I agree, but at least this one is based on something real, infuriatingly, most of them are based on rumour and false assumptions. And that is one of the main reasons the petitions have little credibility. IMO, if a petition is submitted, and it is groundless, it should be rejected and not hosted at all. Too many of these petitons cry wolf. At least with this one, the wolf is really there.Gassing Station | Bentley & Rolls Royce | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff