Car Tax set to rise again this week?
19 March 2007, 03:34 PM
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Car Tax set to rise again this week?
CHANCELLOR TO RAISE TAXES
Revenue raising from performance cars
This Wednesday’s budget from Gordon Brown is expected to contain more bad news for performance car owners. Responding to the current wave of pressure from environmental lobbyists, it’s understood that the Chancellor will drastically increase the road tax charge for vehicles in the ‘G’ band - the highest tax band introduced last April – to at least £400 over the next two years.
Cough up now
The G band is for vehicles bought since April last year that produce over 225g/km of CO2 emissions. Although known as a tax against ‘Chelsea tractor’ SUVs in the popular media, the category also snares most sporting cars from the BMW 335i bracket and above. As an example, a current BMW M3 produces 287g/km, planting it firmly in the top category. There are also expected to be rises across most of the other tax bands, although for many this will probably be limited to around £15. The very lowest tax bands are expected to receive reductions in charges, with the lowest band remaining free. No cars currently on sale fall into this category.
The Chancellor had been under pressure for far greater rises, with environmentalists campaigning for a road tax charge of £1,000 – or even £2,000 -for vehicles falling into the G band. Could things be about to get even worse?
Revenue raising from performance cars
This Wednesday’s budget from Gordon Brown is expected to contain more bad news for performance car owners. Responding to the current wave of pressure from environmental lobbyists, it’s understood that the Chancellor will drastically increase the road tax charge for vehicles in the ‘G’ band - the highest tax band introduced last April – to at least £400 over the next two years.
Cough up now
The G band is for vehicles bought since April last year that produce over 225g/km of CO2 emissions. Although known as a tax against ‘Chelsea tractor’ SUVs in the popular media, the category also snares most sporting cars from the BMW 335i bracket and above. As an example, a current BMW M3 produces 287g/km, planting it firmly in the top category. There are also expected to be rises across most of the other tax bands, although for many this will probably be limited to around £15. The very lowest tax bands are expected to receive reductions in charges, with the lowest band remaining free. No cars currently on sale fall into this category.
The Chancellor had been under pressure for far greater rises, with environmentalists campaigning for a road tax charge of £1,000 – or even £2,000 -for vehicles falling into the G band. Could things be about to get even worse?
£1000 for road tax - that is taking the proverbial considering we pay more tax anyway through increased fuel duty.
I paid £190 in tax for my standard WRX, all current model WRX/STi's fall into the top band and are set to be charged £400 a year.
Food for thought.
Last edited by bugeyeandy; 19 March 2007 at 03:40 PM.
19 March 2007, 03:38 PM
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Do Scoob owners sit there and think "Phew, i hope Subarus aren't included in the new 4x4 clampdown because between you me and the gatepost i'm fully aware my decat pumps out as much crap as some of the road tanks, AND it's 4x4 too, thank goodness Gordon doesn't really know his cars" ? 
19 March 2007, 03:54 PM
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I can - I don't want to pay more than I have to.
Yearly road tax doesn't take into account how much you use your car hence is invalid when used as a pollution tax.
Yearly road tax doesn't take into account how much you use your car hence is invalid when used as a pollution tax.
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19 March 2007, 03:58 PM
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Well yeah ok it's a ham-fisted inital attempt to regulate polluting cars, but i'm not sure many Scoobs are pootled around once a month and then put back in the garage. Owners by and large realise they have a high pollution car.
19 March 2007, 04:00 PM
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Their answer of course is to buy a car which doesn't attract ANY tax. And it's a pretty hard answer to counter. In what way (apart from being not linked to usage) is this NOT an environmental measure? Be honest, it is.
19 March 2007, 04:04 PM
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Honestly Tel, I do not believe it is for the environment. I really do believe they have latched onto something to make more money.
I do as much as I can for the planet, but I don't think our little Country, hounding cars of the road because folks can't afford to tax them, is going to make a blind bit of difference to the environment. The whole world would have to do the same for any effect.
I do as much as I can for the planet, but I don't think our little Country, hounding cars of the road because folks can't afford to tax them, is going to make a blind bit of difference to the environment. The whole world would have to do the same for any effect.
19 March 2007, 04:13 PM
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I do agree with you, 84.
But what should the UK do then? Stick two fingers up to the rest of the world until they play ball? Well we could, but when the Government DO provide low-tax alternatives, all it really then boils down to is a gripe about taxation on your lifestyle choice doesn't it?
But what should the UK do then? Stick two fingers up to the rest of the world until they play ball? Well we could, but when the Government DO provide low-tax alternatives, all it really then boils down to is a gripe about taxation on your lifestyle choice doesn't it?
19 March 2007, 04:14 PM
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they need to add extra bands TBH. To lump in say a 2.0T with some 5.0 SUV that pollutes alot more is cheeky. Wwhy should the 2.0T guy pay as much as the SUV **** when his car pollutes alot more than it.
19 March 2007, 04:19 PM
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There is a big difference between a punitive tax on the future registration of high-CO2 vehicles and a punitive tax on existing high-CO2 vehicles.
The first would tend to decrease the number of such vehicles being bought and in 'green' terms would actually make sense.
The second would just be a tax, if the owner sells it then the new owner pays the tax, it has no environmental effect until the car is eventually scrapped. For currently-new cars that is a long way away.
We don't know the details yet...
The first would tend to decrease the number of such vehicles being bought and in 'green' terms would actually make sense.
The second would just be a tax, if the owner sells it then the new owner pays the tax, it has no environmental effect until the car is eventually scrapped. For currently-new cars that is a long way away.
We don't know the details yet...
19 March 2007, 04:24 PM
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I do agree with you, 84.
But what should the UK do then? Stick two fingers up to the rest of the world until they play ball? Well we could, but when the Government DO provide low-tax alternatives, all it really then boils down to is a gripe about taxation on your lifestyle choice doesn't it?
But what should the UK do then? Stick two fingers up to the rest of the world until they play ball? Well we could, but when the Government DO provide low-tax alternatives, all it really then boils down to is a gripe about taxation on your lifestyle choice doesn't it?
I am all for dong as much as we can for the environment, and I agree completely with your comments,
but I still feel that they see the motorist as an easy target.
19 March 2007, 04:28 PM
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The whole thing is a fecking joke given the recent "evidence" that CO2 (which we all breath out) isn't actually causing global warming and certainly isn't either a pollutant or harmful.
19 March 2007, 04:45 PM
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Know what you mean Scott, although in no sense can you be "certain" of either of those things. Again, what to do? Use less resources which can't be a bad thing surely, and if the additional effect is beneficial to the planet's environment then so much the better, no?
19 March 2007, 04:47 PM
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Something tells me Telboy is actually just fishing. I'm not going to bite, we all know that the "lower tax band alternatives" don't exist. There is not one car in current production that is available new on the UK market that falls into band A (apart from electric car which were exempt anyway).
Fuel tax is the best way to penalise ppl who use lots of fuel, road tax is stealth tax.
Fuel tax is the best way to penalise ppl who use lots of fuel, road tax is stealth tax.
19 March 2007, 04:48 PM
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What annoys me is that my Clio probably also falls into this categroy - and mine can do over 45mpg on a long journey, same as many other cars which won't fall into that bracket. I do less than 10 miles per day, so it's obviously a money making scheme rather than an environmental plan.
19 March 2007, 04:51 PM
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What annoys me is that my Clio probably also falls into this categroy - and mine can do over 45mpg on a long journey, same as many other cars which won't fall into that bracket. I do less than 10 miles per day, so it's obviously a money making scheme rather than an environmental plan.
19 March 2007, 04:53 PM
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Just buy an older scooby and pay whatever the normal tax rate will be, it'll be less than £400 i imagine.
So someone who owns a subaru "gas guzzler" and uses it for the odd trip but the rest of the time cycles/walks has to pay £400 a year but some tree hugging know it all who as a little smart car every day and clocks up loads of miles in it and drives so slow their journey times are twice as long (twice as much pollution) has to pay whatever cheap road tax the government decides.
Seems fair to me, yer right.
Another example of the government using the environment as a tax gathering tool.
So someone who owns a subaru "gas guzzler" and uses it for the odd trip but the rest of the time cycles/walks has to pay £400 a year but some tree hugging know it all who as a little smart car every day and clocks up loads of miles in it and drives so slow their journey times are twice as long (twice as much pollution) has to pay whatever cheap road tax the government decides.
Seems fair to me, yer right.
Another example of the government using the environment as a tax gathering tool.
19 March 2007, 04:55 PM
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*Any* environmental policy can be spun to be made to appear a tax ruse.
You lot wouldn't be happy unless the Government gave tax rebates on cars over 250bhp and made petrol 10p per gallon....
You lot wouldn't be happy unless the Government gave tax rebates on cars over 250bhp and made petrol 10p per gallon....
19 March 2007, 04:58 PM
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19 March 2007, 05:02 PM
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Exactly, and that's the tipping point the Government are trying to find with this stuff in my opinion. The most polluting cars are the most expensive by and large, so again it's hard to claim that the tax is unaffordable.
The MAIN concern, is what happens to the money raised. If it's to bail out the buggered up NHS then i have real issues with it, if it's used to invest in alternative transport options etc etc then ok. Like most people though, i'm sceptical about the motives.
The MAIN concern, is what happens to the money raised. If it's to bail out the buggered up NHS then i have real issues with it, if it's used to invest in alternative transport options etc etc then ok. Like most people though, i'm sceptical about the motives.
19 March 2007, 05:07 PM
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If it was really for the environment, it would be taxed by useage rather than a sweeping blanket tax.
I don't mind paying tax and fuel duty within reason. What I do mind is paying the same amount of tax on an Impreza doing a few thousand miles a year and an SUV or whatever that does tens of thousands of miles a year.
Its no coincidence that this comes so quickly after the farce that was the road charging debate. As "conspiracy theory" as it sounds, IMO the whole thing was staged by the government.
At first I thought road charging was a government ploy to get the public up in arms over road charging and demand it never be introduced - result? road tax goes up with "We have to do something" as the excuse.
Now, I suspect that some of the extra cash raised from this hike is going to go towards road charging. Road tax gets higher and higher and out of control and the then government can step in and announce road charging as the saviour of the car driving public.
I don't mind paying tax and fuel duty within reason. What I do mind is paying the same amount of tax on an Impreza doing a few thousand miles a year and an SUV or whatever that does tens of thousands of miles a year.
Its no coincidence that this comes so quickly after the farce that was the road charging debate. As "conspiracy theory" as it sounds, IMO the whole thing was staged by the government.
At first I thought road charging was a government ploy to get the public up in arms over road charging and demand it never be introduced - result? road tax goes up with "We have to do something" as the excuse.
Now, I suspect that some of the extra cash raised from this hike is going to go towards road charging. Road tax gets higher and higher and out of control and the then government can step in and announce road charging as the saviour of the car driving public.
19 March 2007, 05:08 PM
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That's it, I'm going to make myself 'Carbon Neutral'
I'm going to do me a bit of a huntin' and a shootin', bag me some of them there Tree Huggers
I'm going to do me a bit of a huntin' and a shootin', bag me some of them there Tree Huggers