C350Carl
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The tax system is so complex there are always people "subsidising" others. I personally disliked subsidising people to buy new cars under the scrappage scheme and for people to buy 400k flats in London under the "help to buy" scheme but there you go, that's life. But then I come to Spain where cars over 25 years pay no road tax and insurance is under 100 quid a year and diesel is cheaper than petrol (just filled up at 1€ or 82p per litre) so there's probably people somewhere moaning about subsidising me.
No politician is thinking of banning anything, other than some old petrols/diesels from city centres. Rather than go on huge rants about it perhaps just spend the time working out if you actually drive in city centres that maybe affected and if so how to not drive into them (it's not a pleasant or wise thing to do to drive into central london in any car regardless of the emissions as there are quicker cheaper alternatives). Rows of queues of 1 person vehicles on the main routes in/out of London for 3 hours a day is a very 20th century answer to commuting, regardless of whether they emit harmful pollution or not. School run traffic doing less than 3 miles a day in urban environments is a similarly stupid idea, particularly considering how little exercise most people seem to do each day.
I think the rant is a quite reasonable response to the politicians who jumped on the (then) bandwagon and actively promoted diesel cars as the "healthy choice. It's also not a rolling stone because it's gathering so much moss that gradually anyone who runs a diesel will be flagged up as a "dirty villain" who should be horse-whipped etc. They won't do that of course but while hiding behind the "green needs of the planet", mainline politicians will start to clobber diesel owners in the two ways available i.e.: via road tax and at the pumps - both things that we as drivers cannot avoid. Local politicians everywhere will in turn be rubbing their hands in glee as the "manna" of diesel charges grows. And just like bailing out the banks etc the "ordinary hard working people" that politicians love to claim they care about most (!) including Mrs Maybe's "just managing" lot will have to pay and pay... especially if they cannot afford to fund a change of vehicle (with an ever decreasing part-exchange value looming as well) while the more affluent will simply buy a different vehicle and move on.
There is nothing announced yet on this issue just some recommendations, and the majority may not be adversely affected as I see it.
I think the rant is a quite reasonable response to the politicians who jumped on the (then) bandwagon and actively promoted diesel cars as the "healthy choice. It's also not a rolling stone because it's gathering so much moss that gradually anyone who runs a diesel will be flagged up as a "dirty villain" who should be horse-whipped etc. They won't do that of course but while hiding behind the "green needs of the planet", mainline politicians will start to clobber diesel owners in the two ways available i.e.: via road tax and at the pumps - both things that we as drivers cannot avoid. Local politicians everywhere will in turn be rubbing their hands in glee as the "manna" of diesel charges grows. And just like bailing out the banks etc the "ordinary hard working people" that politicians love to claim they care about most (!) including Mrs Maybe's "just managing" lot will have to pay and pay... especially if they cannot afford to fund a change of vehicle (with an ever decreasing part-exchange value looming as well) while the more affluent will simply buy a different vehicle and move on.
>> October 23rd the ... Toxic cars charge -
http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/787133/diesel-tax-cars-fine-pollution-toxic-charge-UK
London City have certainly announced that they will be charging heavily for daily entrance and parking (above) and the word was that 35 other cities are considering the same:
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=what+euro+class+of+diesel+will+escape+london+road+charges?&oq=what+euro+class+of+diesel+will+escape+london+road+charges?&aqs=chrome..69i57.32391j0j1&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
As I said, as usual it's "ordinary" people who have to bear the cost and it's coming sooner rather than later.
If we want to make everybody pay fairly for pollution why not just add an amount of extra tax to fuel. That way the more you use the more you pay. We could also get rid of multiple levels of road tax and a lot of expensive administration (sorry to anybody in Swansea).
If we want to make everybody pay fairly for pollution why not just add an amount of extra tax to fuel. That way the more you use the more you pay. We could also get rid of multiple levels of road tax and a lot of expensive administration (sorry to anybody in Swansea).
I totally agree with that. We have reps on motorways still today doing 30-40,000 miles a year which is edging towards three times the average but they only pay one road tax bill of course. Adding the cost into the fuel price would be the fairest way to make sure it would be road-use related.
The only thing is of course, how long would it be before some clever MP suggested a new "temporary" road tax to pay for all the overdue road repairs etc... (well, every other bit of history gets repeated!).
Well, the fact remains that government did promote diesel as the "more healthy"
My understanding is that black cabs will be exempt...
After all how will those politicians get around London?
My understanding is that black cabs will be exempt...
After all how will those politicians get around London?