Road Tax Robbery

Norman_Castle

parking_question_chap wrote: »

I think the whole tax banding is wrong. Should be done on the either the weight of the vehicle or as a proportion of its current value.


Income tax is relative to salary
Stamp duty is relative to property value
Why not vehicle tax?

VED only exists to coerce motorists into buying cleaner vehicles which it helps to achieve and which benefits everyone. Charging based on both emissions and vehicle size might be helpful as roads become even more crowded.

Marvel1

But you would pay it next year anyway if not yesterday

Norman_Castle

Tarambor wrote: »

And if you think road tax is robbery may I suggest you go to France and take a journey through the country using their main motorway network? The amount you'll pay in tolls in a single journey will make UK road tax look like the bargain of the century.

I understand people often refer to VED as road tax but there is no link between paying it and using the roads. VED is simply a tax charged at varying levels based on emissions. It is not a charge, fee or levy which funds the roads. Its not an season ticket bought by motorists allowing them to avoid paying tolls.

unholyangel

Norman_Castle wrote: »

I understand people often refer to VED as road tax but there is no link between paying it and using the roads. VED is simply a tax charged at varying levels based on emissions. It is not a charge, fee or levy which funds the roads. Its not an season ticket bought by motorists allowing them to avoid paying tolls.

But it is something you are required to have by law if your motorvehicle is being used or kept on public roads.

Rover_Driver

unholyangel wrote: »

But it is something you are required to have by law if your motorvehicle is being used or kept on public roads.

A registered vehicle, unless exempt, is required to be licensed wherever it is - on or off a public road.

buglawton

Norman_Castle wrote: »

I understand people often refer to VED as road tax but there is no link between paying it and using the roads. VED is simply a tax charged at varying levels based on emissions. It is not a charge, fee or levy which funds the roads. Its not an season ticket bought by motorists allowing them to avoid paying tolls.

It used to be. But now I think there are 3 simple bands.

"A flat standard rate of £140 (£145 from 1 April 2019) applies to all cars except those with CO2 emissions of zero for which the standard rate is £0."

There is a top band having a cliff edge where if you add a few extras to an expensive purchase, you pay an extra £310/year.
We used to be rewarded for driving small frugal fossil fuel cars, not any more.

VED is one more reason why I'm trying to keep the elderly family fleet going for as long as possible.

Norman_Castle

buglawton wrote: »

It used to be. But now I think there are 3 simple bands.

"A flat standard rate of £140 (£145 from 1 April 2019) applies to all cars except those with CO2 emissions of zero for which the standard rate is £0."

Its still an emission tax, not a payment to use the roads.

Norman_Castle

unholyangel wrote: »

But it is something you are required to have by law if your motorvehicle is being used or kept on public roads.

It is, but its not a levy to use the roads. Its a varying payment based on vehicle emissions designed to control air pollution.

parking_question_chap

Norman_Castle wrote: »

VED only exists to coerce motorists into buying cleaner vehicles which it helps to achieve and which benefits everyone. Charging based on both emissions and vehicle size might be helpful as roads become even more crowded.

For those that can afford newer vehicles, perhaps there might be of some benefit.

unholyangel

Rover_Driver wrote: »

A registered vehicle, unless exempt, is required to be licensed wherever it is - on or off a public road.

If that were true, SORNs wouldn't exist