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
It frustrates me too, but there is a paradoxical upside to all this taxation which we can perhaps take some comfort in. Fuel tax and all these new 'gas guzzling' taxes make these amazing cars so cheap to buy.
You wouldn't get a 3 yr old XJR under £20k if they were cheap to run, but this is becoming a very real possibility
You wouldn't get a 3 yr old XJR under £20k if they were cheap to run, but this is becoming a very real possibility
Edited by james S on Monday 17th March 13:44
jamesgareth said:
Its £240 a year extra. Which works out at about 66p per day extra. To be allowed to drive that car at all I'd say thats pretty cool. Dont stress yourself out - do you really think its worth it - pay the extra and drive with a smile. :-)
I completely agree. I have no intention of doing anything other than continuing to drive with a smile, especially when I gun it ! I object though to the fact that I am the one who is being punished, because whoever I sell the car to will inevitably benefit from the rapidly deteriorating residuals and so won't be taking the hit. It just seems like an illiterate policy. It doesn't help the environment and it doesn't share the burden of green taxes in a fair way. May be the answer is to keep it forever ! You are right, the policy doesn't make any sense. Once a car has been made and sold, most of the damage is done. The only time to hit owners with taxation is when they buy things. If they want to tax gas guzzlers off the road, then make all new cars (hell why just cars! why not everything we buy) with a carbon tax based on the footprint of their manufacture. I remember a environmental survey a couple of years ago that showed that many so called environmentally friendly cars just plain weren't, they used up far more resources in their manufacture.
I don't think it is really possible to shop your way to a greener future.
I don't think it is really possible to shop your way to a greener future.
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