Budget 2006 - Vehicle Tax

[Satch]

So I think I will get a sub 100g/Km car. Odd: there do not appear to be any! A Toyota Prius is the lowest but manages to produce 104g/km.

It is green tokenism. And a wedge of extra stealth tax

Oh God wrong again:

Honda Insight petrol electric hybrid (80 g/km)

Smart diesel (90 g/km)

 

[Thmsshaun]

Did anyone here yesteday on the news about the Chinese government putting a tax on Chop Sticks?

 

[sparkyspost]

Oh God wrong again:

Honda Insight petrol electric hybrid (80 g/km)

Smart diesel (90 g/km)

Neither of which are apparently available in the uk.
The Smart can't be bought here, and teh honda has been discontinued (alledgedly)



Don't see why all petrol stations can't link to a central computer to check if the car has insurance and MOT (where appropriate) as these are now stored in computer databases. This should be linked to the 'Road safety' cameras that have NPR to track these.

Get the dodgy cars off the road and simply add the 'tax' to the already overtaxed fuel! ;o)

just my humble opinion.

Cheers
Mark.

 

[Apial]

Of course it's voluntary. I have friends who have lived in small villages all their lives and have never owned a car. They cycle, walk or use public transport as did their kids when they were younger. Amazingly enough they even walked to school

There is no law which says we must own a car and nobody is going to come around to your house and arrest you for not having one. Many of us have chosen to own one because it is convenient and easy to do so. It makes our lives easier. At the end of the day a car is a luxury on which through our own laziness we have become dependent upon and as such always has and always will be an easy target for taxation.

I agree there are varying degrees of "convenience" but at the end of the day, because it is our decision that we own cars it's also our choice to pay the associated taxes on a voluntary basis.

Andy

Sorry Andy, but its not April 1st yet! In Lincolnshire cars are essential.
I don't know anyone in my village who can get to work using the daily bus that runs only during term time.

These days it is very rare for both working partners in a family to be able to work in the same town/village and be able to live there too. Public transport is unreliable and costs more to use than a car around here in Lincolnshire. On top of that the rural economy of Lincolnshire also has the lowest male wages in England.

But your right, we could all just give up work, not need transport, and live on benefits because we choose to.

 

[glojo]

Sorry Andy, but its not April 1st yet! In Lincolnshire cars are essential..

Small world, the village I was talking about is in Lincolnshire A clue is the nearest town used to make the BRM

John

 

[petef]

It's typical, the middle ground gets hit yet again.

I am getting poorer and poorer as a result of this continued labour goverment.

God, dont get me started ...bring back Maggie...Tonys brilliant wife Cherie ( lets not forget the daughter of an alcoholic looser )..has just lost the tax payer £100,000 for fighting ( and loosing ) a case where a muslim girl wanted the right to wear a Shalwar Kameez at school. The school run by a muslim headteacher refused. The girl was supported by the Hizb-ut-Tahrir...ya know the guys who think lobbin a few heads off is ok, and who preach racism in my country....I despair...but lets not also forget what Tony Blair told us all on national tv with regards to how he will be judged by god for the decision he made by invading Iraq ???....Now I dont like bringing in politics but as its the budget its a bloody good excuse...and if you vote for this looser next time then god strike you down ....

 

[glojo]

Now I dont like bringing in politics

And religion

Now whose a naughty boy?

(Me getting revenge over your apology remark)

Take care,
John

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

But your right, we could all just give up work, not need transport, and live on benefits because we choose to.

Great minds and all that ...I was thinking exactly that when I read that post

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

"because as a country we're dependent upon them

I think that should read "because as a country we are reliant upon them".

To say we are dependent on them isn't strictly true. There are generally alternatives although none of them as convenient or comfortable.

Reliant? OK I'll accept that on the basis that if cars were taken away from us completely, then humanity would survive. There are alternatives.

But I still think dependent is the right word if we want to keep society and standards of living anything like what we enjoy today...

Without a car, I couldn't do my job, and all that tax I pay wouldn't be going into the system. If I was lucky, very very lucky I may be able to get a job closer to home, but wouldn't earn as much, so would pay less tax, and would probably need to claim benefits of some description to top up my income.

Overlay that if everyone was in the same boat, I would need to compete with everyone else who lives in my area but works far enough away to make a car the only viable option of travelling to work - probably 90% of the people that live on my estate. Whether I missed out on that job, or one of my neighbours theres less tax going in, and even more being drained out.

The company I work for moves many many thousands of tonnes of material every day, by road. No alternative - one truck being the equivalent of 150 barrow loads, with a typical range of 30 miles - how are you going to do that without cars (granted trucks are not cars)? No delivery, no profit, no employees, no company tax, no income tax, etc.

See where I'm going with this? Of course you do - you even said we're dependent upon cars too ...twice!! See...

At the end of the day a car is a luxury on which through our own laziness we have become dependent upon and as such always has and always will be an easy target for taxation.

We all used to manage perfectly well without cars (even those that lived in the country) but we've got lazy or in some cases become so dependent on a luxury that we now class it as an essential and that is why it is such an easy target for revenue grabbing governments, car park owners etc etc etc

Sorry Andy, I couldn't resist!!

 

[Thmsshaun]

Reliant? OK I'll accept that on the basis that if cars were taken away from us completely, then humanity would survive. There are alternatives.

Yes there would be

But I still think dependent is the right word if we want to keep society and standards of living anything like what we enjoy today...

The standards of living we enjoy today? Sounds like a luxury to me.

Without a car, I couldn't do my job, and all that tax I pay wouldn't be going into the system. If I was lucky, very very lucky I may be able to get a job closer to home, but wouldn't earn as much, so would pay less tax, and would probably need to claim benefits of some description to top up my income.

You wouldnt earn as much but then wouldnt need as much as you wouldn't be running an AMG. We would not need to be paying as much tax as there would be no motorists to keep an eye on. No roads to build.

Overlay that if everyone was in the same boat, I would need to compete with everyone else who lives in my area but works far enough away to make a car the only viable option of travelling to work - probably 90% of the people that live on my estate. Whether I missed out on that job, or one of my neighbours theres less tax going in, and even more being drained out.

The company I work for moves many many thousands of tonnes of material every day, by road. No alternative - one truck being the equivalent of 150 barrow loads, with a typical range of 30 miles - how are you going to do that without cars (granted trucks are not cars)? No delivery, no profit, no employees, no company tax, no income tax, etc.

See where I'm going with this? Of course you do - you even said we're dependent upon cars too ...twice!! See...

I see where you are going with this and only picking on you because you were the last person to post at the time I was typing this .

I too shift between 600 and 1000 tonnes daily by road. But that is not cars and road haulage is very much a neccesity.

In some instances people may actually NEED a car. I Have 2 and can honestly say if it came down to it I dont really neeed 1 at all.
But you say you need one for work. You dont need an AMG neither do I or anyone else. So what is this discussion all about. As people have said this tax is voluntary and it really is if we need a car we can buy a cheap one.


Andy. I would rep you if I could

 

[petef]

And religion

Now whose a naughty boy?

(Me getting revenge over your apology remark)

Take care,
John

...Yes I know, point taken...!..I do like are debates John, there are a lot of different points of view on this forum, and usually strong ones. I respect your honesty....most of the time ! Its nice to have a good whack at each other without people taking their ball home...

 

[gary350]

The new tax applies to new cars only see link
http://www.dvla.gov.uk/vehicles/Changes_to_cost_of_vehicle_tax.htm

gary

 

[Thmsshaun]

Remind Me

What do we actually pay


VED
Road fund licenece
Car Tax for.

Call it what you will but what is it for?

Just heard on the news councils know there is a problem with pot holes but don't have the money to repair them. I thought Car tax was for the roads.

 

[imadoofus]

That's why it's not called Road Tax.

Indirect taxation is the only way a government can get the books to balance.

PJ

 

[SilverSaloon]

waste of time.

£220 for cars that are large-engined is a waste of time. people who get late teens/early 20 mpg and fill up regually (like me) are not going to worry about an extra £60 odd quid a year tax....

on a similar note, i am not going to sell my 7 series and buy a 1.1 corsa... get my drift Gordon?!

I'd like to see Government pulling up outside No 10 in a Kia or Corsa instead of a 4l Jag, Merc, Rover 75 etc

 

[Satch]

What do we actually pay


VED
Road fund licenece
Car Tax for.

Call it what you will but what is it for?

Just heard on the news councils know there is a problem with pot holes but don't have the money to repair them. I thought Car tax was for the roads.

Highways funding from the Government to ALL Councils is expected to drop FURTHER this year. The overall funding trend has been down as the Government shifts money to the special Transport Integration Fund (TIF).

TIF? WTF?

Answer: Councils have to bid for what was their money but only for projects supported by TIF like:

Congestion Charging and Road Pricing

while they have to manage with a smaller general grant they can spend how they want.

"All the research we have done, including evidence from around the world, makes clear that road pricing is the most effective way to manage traffic properly in the UK's congested towns and cities. This guidance is an important further step towards that goal and should really encourage other parts of the country to follow the successful example of London. The support for boosting public transport - which London needed for its scheme to work - is particularly welcome."

And guess what: this only applies to ENGLAND. Scotland and Wales have different funding schemes.

To be fair some of this cash will be diverted into Productivity Schemes which are sensible:

"...regional, inter-regional, inter-urban, and - exceptionally - local schemes, which by their nature and/or scale are expected to make a major contribution to national (and potentially international) productivity but for which existing sources of funding are insufficient. These schemes will have benefits and a strategic significance which extend beyond the immediate geographical locality or region to make an impact at a national level. They could include infrastructure work as well as other measures"

BUT some of those schemes will include Road pricing on Motorways and "Safety" which means, yep, SPECS camera networks that help enforce the pricing as well as clocking the motorist.

So what this boils down to is that local roads will get worse because Government is taking cash away from local councils and will only give some of it back if they go into Congestion Charging, Road Pricing and improving public transport. The Productivty Schemes are big ticket projects and will not impact local roads.

At the same time Road Pricing and crushing speed controls on major routes will appear and there is already a vast industry building around this as equipment suppliers and IT companies smell money.

If you think this sound like a conspiracy theory, well it is a conspiracy but not a theory. I am afraid that motoring in the UK will quite soon become a very sad, more expensive and trying thing indeed.

But do not worry, it is all for our own good and the Government knows best. You were all asked to give your views and if you missed that opportunity, well, you had your chance and blew it

If any one thing might help Labour lose the next election, many people think this is it. A big policy decision that people sort of know about but most simply do not realise what a huge impact it will have on them and the way they run their lives day to day.

 

[glojo]

I once complained to a local council about the condition of a highway, five or six months later my exhaust got damaged. I submitted the bill to the local authority and received a cheque for the full amount. The highway was also sorted out.

I am not sure of local authority obligations but once they become aware of a defect and fail to rectify it within a reasonable time scale, then do they have a rsponsibility?

Our footpaths are another bone of contention. If there are drops (or rises) above a certain height then the council are very quick to sort things out. No doubt repair is cheaper than compensation.

Regards,
John

 

[Shude]

Our footpaths are another bone of contention. If there are drops (or rises) above a certain height then the council are very quick to sort things out. No doubt repair is cheaper than compensation.

Yep. There are some posh houses up the road from me that have had loads of building work done to them. This has meant constant trucks carrying building supplies, cement mixers, lots of white vans etc. The nice bits of grassed area on the pavement have been destroyed and have huge tyre tread marks through them and all the paving stones have been cracked due to trucks parking completely on the pavement (it is a narrow road).

The council wait until all the work is done and then tarmac the pavement! It looks awful but is probably cheaper than paving stones. Either way the whole area looks awful now, next to £400k+ houses.

 

[glojo]

the paving stones have been cracked due to trucks parking completely on the pavement (it is a narrow road). .

Absolutely spot on. We have very nice differing colour paving slaps, that get replaced with tarmac!!!! Yuk

In your situation the council should if possible bill the haulier for damage to the verge or footpath. They pay more than there fair share for the upkeep and maintenance of the road, but footpaths are for pedestrians

Regards,
John

 

[Alfie]

.............................................................................................. Either way the whole area looks awful now, next to £400k+ houses.

Where we live the council houses cost 400K!

Fortunately in our road the contractor who built the road liked coronation street! We have cobble stones which are pretty damned difficult to ruin. Also the skateboarders/rollerbladers dont like it either!