Should road tax be moved onto fuel ?

HERBIEMERCMAN

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not easy this question.

the majority of the high mileage boys would not be concerned as their operator companies would foot the bill and then put this on their tins of beans etc.

the big "chelse tractor" owners who are now paying £700. for their road tax, would gain, as most of them are just going down the road to take little johny to school, blocking driveways and looking down on everyone.

so if you have an old merc. and you are paying £180. for your tax disc, then you will loose out when you are paying £1.30 / litre.
(£5.20/gall).

may be the toll roads are the way forward, at least you have choice.

i always use the birmingham toll road, but it started at £2, and is currently
£5, again the businesses and company cars do not care if it reaches £10, they are not paying, indirectly, we are. what is your opinion ? herbiemercman.
 

Alex M Grieve

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Moving road tax to fuel has the appeal of shifting the burden to road users rather than vehicle owners.

Sadly, this cost will not be moved - extra charges will be applied, but the current costs are unlikely to disappear. Alternatively, the volumes of fuel sold are such that quite a minor correction to the litre price would achieve the aim, but I would not expect to see only a minor correction.

Either way, a change of this sort has ample scope for the unscrupulous to pick our pockets. And we remember how good their arithmetic was when it came to counting helicopters!
 

teddycatkin

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The duty on fuel is one tax the road tax another --do you honestly think they will remove a tax source --/NEVER-think up a new one like tax on tyres or tax on washer bottle fluid and they will jump at it---You did ask for my opinion ?
 

rf065

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may be the toll roads are the way forward, at least you have choice.

I've used toll roads many times in the US, but for any given journey there is usually the toll road, plus two other routes available. The system works well as you have a choice to use them or not.

I can't help thinking that if a UK government decides we should have a network of toll roads here, they will simply erect tolls or issue electronic passes on the existing motorway network and cause chaos. Revenue making will take second place to easing congestion.

Russ
 

rf065

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Alex M Grieve

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I've used toll roads many times in the US, but for any given journey there is usually the toll road, plus two other routes available. The system works well as you have a choice to use them or not.

I can't help thinking that if a UK government decides we should have a network of toll roads here, they will simply erect tolls or issue electronic passes on the existing motorway network and cause chaos. Revenue making will take second place to easing congestion.

Russ

Quite so. We see this operate in 2 ways already. If the Highways Agency close a motorway, and they are prone to doing this - no alternative route is offered in most cases, and no sensible alternative route is feasible in some cases. It's just "tough luck motorists, the road will reopen when we say so".

The other case is when there is such a foul up around Birmingham and the Toll Road is suggested as an alternative. The fact that the primary route is unusable at that time does not prompt any temporary waiver of the toll charges - it just becomes a pure revenue opportunity.

So you are quite right Russ - care of, and help for the motorist may well not be top of the agenda!
 

djb

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not easy this question.

the majority of the high mileage boys would not be concerned as their operator companies would foot the bill and then put this on their tins of beans etc.

the big "chelse tractor" owners who are now paying £700. for their road tax, would gain, as most of them are just going down the road to take little johny to school, blocking driveways and looking down on everyone.

so if you have an old merc. and you are paying £180. for your tax disc, then you will loose out when you are paying £1.30 / litre.
(£5.20/gall).

may be the toll roads are the way forward, at least you have choice.

i always use the birmingham toll road, but it started at £2, and is currently
£5, again the businesses and company cars do not care if it reaches £10, they are not paying, indirectly, we are. what is your opinion ? herbiemercman.


Too much chance of the general public being fleeced.

Will be interesting to see if the 2p duty comes off when the vat rate goes back up. wont be holding my breath though.
 

Xtractorfan

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They did this in Ireland way back in the stone ages, no car tax but duty on fuel, then the follwing year a £5 annual register fee on cars..this has now grown into one of the most expensively car taxed areas in the world
 

Alex M Grieve

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Why should fuel be any more taxed than it is. Why not just scrap VED. We pay far too much for what we get in return.

Sadly Stephen, it is not an issue of us paying for some service we receive. The total tax take on motorists is just revenue generation.

Anything that the government spends on the motorist is a bonus for us, but will never reflect the amount of money they take from us.

Other examples are "green taxes" without resultant government spend on greening, or taxation to discourage private motoring without resultant spending on alternative forms of travel, in particular public transport.

For a society which now works on an itinerant basis, or has at best has a long commute because it can not work (nor be accommodated) where the work is, this is just theft by any other name.
 

st4

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Sadly Stephen, it is not an issue of us paying for some service we receive. The total tax take on motorists is just revenue generation.

Anything that the government spends on the motorist is a bonus for us, but will never reflect the amount of money they take from us.

Other examples are "green taxes" without resultant government spend on greening, or taxation to discourage private motoring without resultant spending on alternative forms of travel, in particular public transport.

For a society which now works on an itinerant basis, or has at best has a long commute because it can not work (nor be accommodated) where the work is, this is just theft by any other name.

Alas this is all true, but coming up to an election, people are feeling the pinch due to these turbulent economic times, our government should be cutting duty on fuel if it wants to please the people who vote it in.

Whilst you're right, these are policies which are hopelessly out of touch with the wants and needs of the electorate. I might suggest that to balance the books possible cuts in public spending (benefits spring to mind here) may help.
 

djb

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I might suggest that to balance the books possible cuts in public spending (benefits spring to mind here) may help.


unless you have been made redundant.


perhaps we need a new scale of benfits, if you havnt payed tax for a while you get a much lower amount to encourage a return to the workpace. Obviously protection for the truly disabled etc.
 

st4

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unless you have been made redundant.


perhaps we need a new scale of benfits, if you havnt payed tax for a while you get a much lower amount to encourage a return to the workpace. Obviously protection for the truly disabled etc.

I'd be okay with that, but not for those who have kids to get tax credits free off the state, or those who are too lazy to work. Those that want to work usually can find it (it may not be the calibre of job they once had, but there is work out there for those who try and look).
 

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the only argument i have about this is that the government are trying to stop people dodging their road tax. but lets be sensible about this for a minute. if it was put onto fuel it would be a good idea. why? well if you think about it, all our cars will run quite happily thank you without a little circular piece of paper attached to the inside of the front windscreen. they wont, however run without fuel!

the only reason that this isnt done is because it gives the government a way of checking each time you tax your car, that it is insured and has an mot!
 

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the road tax was supposed to be in place to help pay for the road damage done by our cars, so for me it makes good sence to levy a further tax on fuel and get rid of the current car tax system. it wont happen, but i live in hope. The car next to my house covers 10x my annual mileage, so stands to reason he creates more damage than me, but as he has a slightly smaller engine he pays less road tax than I do
 


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