Comments on: Budget 2008: bad news for car owners?

By: Encinitas California Homes

Encinitas California Homes — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:38:56 +0000

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By: Alex

Alex — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:55:27 +0000

How can they possibly say “It’s for the environmental reasons”!!! How stupid do they think we are?!? We all know that its just a great little cover up story for them which makes them feel that its ok to TOTALLY RIP US MOTORISTS OFF, and be left over with no money to spend on what we actually want to! It seems to me you are fine if; either you earn the same salery as Bill Gates. Or if you scrounge and live off the government! As they seem to give you everthing they possibly can for free! The rest of us may as well forget it!!! Either screw us on Road tax, fuel tax or showroom tax, but puh-lease not on EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM! This country is a joke, and a laughing stock to the motorists of all other countries in the EU, possibly the World! Sort it out Brown! Or just do us all a favour and GET OUT!

By: pgray

pgray — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:06:25 +0000

i think its all down to greed greed greed its all wrong they use the planet as an excuse what happened in the ice age did the animals f*rt to much,why dont they come down a cog,they should put it on fuel not on car tax as im not aloan with a car sitting in a lockup or on a road somewhere not being used because of work like mine running a pub opening in the afternoon and again at night,and theres old age pensioners that dont drive much its totally unfair i could go on but its a wast of time

By: Damaged Goods

Damaged Goods — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 22:36:24 +0000

Why do we bother with road tax anyway? Would’nt it make sense to scrap the antiquated road tax system in favour of raising the money through additional fuel duty? That way we would, firstly – save having to pay the salaries (not to mention the gold-plated pensions) for thousands of DVLA staff in Swansea, and, secondly achieve the oft-stated goal of making the worst ‘polluters pay’; either because they drive the worst gas-guzzlers and/or they do the most mileage. That would surely be fairer, cheaper and simpler.
But there again I suppose it would be far too simple an idea for mere MP’s to grasp!

By: Nighthawk

Nighthawk — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 19:56:08 +0000

In 2029 we are due an asteroid impact (or near miss) making a mokery of climate change so why worry!!
In the meanwhile lets try and convince the major polluters to change their ways–some hope.
What charging a few 4×4 owners a few quid is going to do for global warming is anyones guess.
Oh I forgot its all about MONEY !!

By: Wobbletastic

Wobbletastic — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:12:08 +0000

I wonder if Mr Darling has ever wondered how the end of the last ice age came about in the absence of Range Rovers? Probaly not actually… because the stupid labour government have made such a cock-up of running this country that they need to steal more money than ever of us.

By: pja

pja — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 15:55:13 +0000

I own a 4×4 solely because I tow a large caravan, and it is always recommended that the caravan should weigh less than 85% of the towcar’s unladen weight. There arent many cars that weigh 2000kg so my choice is limited. Does this therefore spell the death knell for the british caravan makers larger models, and more likely cause an increase in caravan accidents caused by the wrong towcars being used. The termology of gas guzzlers too causes offence and my 4×4 does 32 mpg when many more powerful cars do far less.

By: Irish

Irish — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:15:29 +0000

This is just a stealth tax. Makes labour look green (to the blind) and hits just about every driver who doesn’t own a Prius. If they were really trying to be green the money made from this scam would be poured back into public transportation, but we all know it wont it’ll be for the new 2nd house allowance so they can get plasma’s in. As always the working men and women with family’s get hit. Also Alcohol increase’s?!?! yes this will stop bing drinking won’t it.

Im off to look for flights to Australia where my skills will be appreciated.

By: Layne

Layne — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 11:54:07 +0000

I think there is a simple solution to this problem. I would scrap road tax all together and just make fuel a bit more expensive. This means that the more people drive then the more they pay. I might drive a huge gas guzzling car for 3,000 miles a year which would be far less polluting than someone who drives a small car for 30,000 miles a year. also the more you use the road, the more you would be paying for repairing the roads! It makes so much sense. You would also be removing the overhead costs of the current tax disc system. Nobody would be able to dodge paying the tax, and it would also mean foreign drivers would be paying tax for using our roads.

By: katherine

katherine — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:12:49 +0000

Yes I have a band g car, and will have to pay the £400 tax. I resent this in itself as it is a poor excuse to make money once again out of us brits. But what really gets me is if I have to pay it then leave me alone, with my choice of car. It is not an ego trip it’s what I like. We have no children so me and my husband use less electricity, water and create only half a bag of rubbish a week as we recycle everything else, I re use my carrier bags every week. I also only do 4000 miles a year so probably polute a lot less than lower emission cars doing all their small run around journeys. I try to get the bus but am charged £5.50 return to the next village 4 miles away, I get wet and cold when it’s delayed and have to walk with heavy shopping back. I also cycle but end up very hot or wet and bedraggled at my destination, and cannot manage much shopping. This country makes up for only around 2% of world pollution, I have just been to thailand and the pollution spilling out of there was discusting. It is the same in China, India, USA etc. how small are we compared to these. Nature will cause natural changes and disasters in the world as it has been for millions of years, taking a extra £100 from me will not stop this, so it is just an excuse. If it’s as bad as the government makes out then use a different fuel as we know they are out there. At least my car is looked after and serviced every year to keep it as clean as possible and muck doesnt poor out like on some of the cheap small cars where one knock of the exhaust has put a hole in it. If the government is compelled to take this money from me be honest as to why and maybe send it to a good cause. Role on the next election.

By: stephen

stephen — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:26:26 +0000

good old labour ,
tax the motorist as usual
put a meter on our head for breathing
you might as well.
ask the americans to buy a small
car to help with the emissions,
they will laugh at you as usual
its a story to rape the good people of Britain
as usual.

By: mark

mark — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:17:30 +0000

dave if spot on it sould be done on how many miles you drive as i pay band g which is now £400 a year but in the two years i have owned the car i have driven 4000 miles the goverment could do this but it would make less money and they know it as we are all mugs and have to pay it and thats what they are doing its not about co’2 thats just a nice little cover up for them to use to take us to make money.

By: Brian Wylie

Brian Wylie — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:49:07 +0000

This budget will have little effect on fighting climate change and is yet another LAbour revenue raising exercise. I just wish they would stop lying about it. I use my car as little as possible, recycle everything possible and don ‘t fly. Result After a life time of hardwork, what is left of mys savings is gradually being taken from me. At the current rate of price/Tax increases and the current rate of increase of my pension income, I expect to be insolvent in, at most, three years. LAbour have lived fully up to my expectations of them They have never been any different since the 1940′s yet people still vote for them, the fools.

By: Robert Mac

Robert Mac — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:03:53 +0000

Thats how you press the self distruct button. All labour mp’s are aware of this and Brown and the labour party know they won’t be in power for much longer. This is the final nail in labours coffin.

By: PeterM

PeterM — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 16:09:54 +0000

We should revolt big time. We have highest fuel prices in the world, the worst congestion charging scheme possible, now exorbitant road tax and the promise of road pricing so ordinary people will not be able to drive anywhere.
Leave now- in france there is NO Road Tax, NO congestion charging and diesel is 90p a litre.

By: Darren Brooks

Darren Brooks — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:52:49 +0000

I,m a disabled person who has to have a car as i can’t use public transport and i,m sick to death of the goverment taxing petrol as a LUXURY ITEM !! who dosen’t use some form of petrol !! or petrolium based product cars must be made greener it,s the car producers WHO CAN DO THIS the goverment should pressure them NOT US !!!

By: Dan

Dan — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 14:10:44 +0000

I am disgusted with the fuel rise, its not fair when i do short journeys round town. Bring them back down to 99p per litre.

By: keithcollantine

keithcollantine — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:49:28 +0000

The budget has been announced - read the news for car owners and have your say.

By: Aaron Roberts

Aaron Roberts — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 13:48:06 +0000

If they are going to start charging extra tax on gaz guzzlers and (in the near future I am positive) slap the other 2p duty on fuel to drive up the price of owning and running a car, then are they also going to offer those who car share a tax rebate, or possibly subsidise the massive cost of commuting by rail or bus. A 3 mile/5-10 min journey by bus from my house to the centre of town costs £2.70 return (which will also be driven up by the increasing costs) or I can do it by car and park for free which works out, if I do the entire journey in first gear, at £1.00, with others in the car as I tend to do it even less…

So which should option should I select?

By: BoA Wrath

BoA Wrath — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:12:25 +0000

Only 15% of our road taxes etc gets reinvested back into our roads even though 90%+ of the population use the road. 30% is funnelled into the rail network which less than 10% of the population use.

As for higher taxes on large polluters I’m all for it but there should be some levey on large vehicles. The roads are bad enough already without the mums on the school run in what seems like armored 4×4′s which are roads lets face it aren’t really designed to accomodate.

There needs to be a balance in fair reinvestment and imporvements in our road network and an incentive or state run scheme to get kids to school taking these school run convoys off the roads.

During the holidays when the kids are off and the school run isn’t my commute down the m6 seems 50% less busy. The solution seems simple to me.