Budget day - I say double the tax on fuel??

[CJN]

Don't get me wrong, I love driving & perhaps double is just a bit too much but here goes--

We all resent the amount of tax we pay on fuel, the road tax we pay & the IPT tax we pay on our extremely expensive insurance premiums.

We also resent having to pay increased insurance because of the minority of drivers who drive around uninsured.

Add to the list the drivers who don't pay road tax.

Well, I say double the tax on fuel.

In return-
Road tax is abolished, in effect the more you drive & hence use the road, the more tax you pay.
All cars are insured for all drivers to drive third party only by the government, the more miles you drive, the more chance there is of having an accident.
Insurance rates are reduced as you will only be insuring for your own loss due to yourself.

Ok, so it's not going to suit everyone & it was an idea just plucked from the air, but at least the decent & honest driver is protected from the less desirables of the world.

[pbirkett]

Personally I think thats a spot on idea

[JonRB]

Would car insurance then cover your petrol being syphoned off by tax dodgers?

Don't get me wrong - the idea has its merits. Even work-shy tax-dodging DHSS layabouts seem to find enough money to smoke and run their cars, so taxing them via fuel isn't a bad idea.

(Apologies for the above sweeping generalisation to any hard-working tax-paying DHSS people who are genuinely unable to work.)

[aovcerb]

CJN though I agree with you on this one, I am afraid you have missed the point.

Think like a politician, the concept of replacing road tax by placing it on fuel would increase revenue to the country, save countless paperwork exercises, remove a bunch of bureaucrats from the system, traffic wardens would be lost what to do, police would save time and money and be able to target other crime instead of tax dodgers, the more you use the car the more you pay, all these savings would probably bail out the NHS, so I ask you what is the positive aspect of this !!!!

No a more logical approach would be raise road tax, raise NIC, and tax petrol more, now those are real vote winning ideas !!!

[CJN]

I forgot that the government have taken a leaf out of Robin Hood's book -

Tax the hardworkers to death, give to paperpushers & layabouts.

[M@H]

As I've said before... Punish those who try to help themselves and pander to the feckless...

[mtmrop]

Isn't that what Germany and South Africa do??? Doubling the tax on fuel is a bit more steep than it needs to be!!

I think the figure 1 in 20 cars on the road is ininsured?? (either by not having road fund license, no MOT or just no insurance policy taken out on the car). Also, as far as i know, this figure is going UP.

[Roadrunner]

Had discussed the same thing a while ago. Insurance and tax would end up costing us less as we won't have to subsidise the criminal class.

[gnomesmith]

Using Fuel tax as a replacement for road tax was at one stage favoured within the Department of Transport but it was felt that there needed to be an annual ownership check,ie a payment free road tax. As an experiment road tax was abolished on cars older than 25 years, the issue of a free disc worked but the whole thing failed as the rural lobby felt they were being stung and the then current government relied heavily upon the vote from the Shires.

The current Government seems more prepared to confront the Countryside lobby so perhaps a deal that abolishes road tax but allows Fox Hunting providing the huntsmen ride the dogs and the horses chase the foxes may be on.

PS. just heard there's 14P a pint off real ale from small brewers (yeah), can we ask for the same logic to be applied to small specialist car manufacturers..some hopes!

[Bodo]

quote:
Isn't that what Germany and South Africa do???

Not exactly.
Fuel is around EUR1.00 per litre, road tax depends on engine displacement and the amount of emissions it produces.
New cars are cheap, sometimes tax free, non-cat is going to be expensive: approx. GBP20 per 100cm³ per yr.
An old Merc 300 costs GBP600 a year!
Historic Vehicles start at 35yrs. old, must be declared to be genuine by TÜV and cost flat GBP120 - no matter if it's a Fiat 500 or a Jensen Interceptor!

Nearly 99.9% of all cars a 3rd party insured and road taxed, because Germany has lesser liberty than Britain: Every Inhabitant must be registered with his residental adress, and registers his car at an admission office (similar to DVLA). This office talks to the tax office to charge the owner; and checks if the insurance is valid. Payment proceeded by automatic debit transfer system.

I prefer the british system, as it is more liberate, but it was not very easy to find an insurance.

Two years ago, the Green Party planned to raise fuel prices from DM1.30 to DM5.00; they lost many electors.
I would have liked the DM5 thing!
Imagine: no more numpties on the road!!!

[funkynige]

quote:
As an experiment road tax was abolished on cars older than 25 years, the issue of a free disc worked but the whole thing failed as the rural lobby felt they were being stung

eh? So only city folk drive old cars? I can't see the connection between rural areas and old car here.

[gnomesmith]

You're making the wrong connection oh funky one, the rural aspect was what killed the road tax abolition scheme. The experiment centred on older vehicles reason being that the number of cars over 25 years old is small and by freezing the cut off date will continue to get smaller. It formed a readily identifiable group that could be used to test the proposals for issue of an annual 'free disc' and identify the real administrative costs. Of course if it had been extended and Vehicle Excise Duty abolished it would not have remained free.

You didn't think the abolition of road tax on classics was just to make Classic car owners happy did you?

Just like the X Files the truth is out there.

>> Edited by gnomesmith on Thursday 18th April 02:20

[smeagol]

I've long said tax on fuel.

It seems such an easy answer. There still could be the checks on cars by Insurance asking for copies of MOTs and sending disk to display as part of the certificate (ie the MOT date is on the disk as well as the insurance number). Also this is useful for insurance companies regarding the check of MOT and "roadworthyness" of the car. This would also cut down on police work asking for a produce. They simply have to look at the "insurance disk".

I can't think of any problems (that we don't already have) this system would create and I can see a whole load of advantages. What do you folks think?

[hertsbiker]

Well, we pay too much income tax, too much NI (hey, I ain't gonna get a State pension..), to much fuel duty, and the road tax money gets spent on nukes.

Right, so where does the crazy idea of paying MORE duty fit in??????????

Forgot to mention IPT, purchase tax, tax on servicing, tax on tax on tax. Geddit?

We need a tax disk abolition AND a reduction in duty. Not a bloody increase.

Less gatsos, more traffic cops on a decent wage, children to be prevented from going near a road, and roads to be given back to those who PAY for them.

Less tax is better all round.

Oh, and ban numpties.

Carl

[superflid]

Spot on Carl.