Car Tax and Clean Air Zone Charges

electriccafe

With the increase of utility bills this year, council tax hikes, car tax increases, fuel costs and now towns and cities charging vehicles to enter, I'm surprised that the latter rule hasn't been challenged yet.

According to various websites car tax or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is paid directly into the central government fund and is used for projects that benefit everyone including road works and maintenance, the increases in VED is also now attributed to how much emissions your vehicle emits, those with more polluting vehicles pay more VED tax.

According to various news articles, under government orders, councils have been told to curb their air pollution levels (Clean Air Zone (CAZ)) therefore charging people to drive into towns and cities, again this is hitting the poorer who can't afford new vehicles, I drive a hybrid which would now incur a charge for driving into many of these places. 

The question is we are already paying one tax now being forced to pay again under the CAZ for the same tax. How is this legal?

MattMattMattUK

electriccafe said:

With the increase of utility bills this year, council tax hikes, car tax increases, fuel costs and now towns and cities charging vehicles to enter, I'm surprised that the latter rule hasn't been challenged yet.

According to various websites car tax or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is paid directly into the central government fund and is used for projects that benefit everyone including road works and maintenance, the increases in VED is also now attributed to how much emissions your vehicle emits, those with more polluting vehicles pay more VED tax.

According to various news articles, under government orders, councils have been told to curb their air pollution levels (Clean Air Zone (CAZ)) therefore charging people to drive into towns and cities, again this is hitting the poorer who can't afford new vehicles, I drive a hybrid which would now incur a charge for driving into many of these places. 

The question is we are already paying one tax now being forced to pay again under the CAZ for the same tax. How is this legal?

The government can charge any taxes it legislates for, provided that they do not break any other legislation that holds precedence (eg. you could not charge taxes based on race, because it would break laws against discrimination). Also, VED is not a tax and neither are Clean Air Zone charges, and again, the government can levy any duties or charges it wishes, provided they are not legally discriminatory. 

Car_54

MattMattMattUK said:

electriccafe said:

With the increase of utility bills this year, council tax hikes, car tax increases, fuel costs and now towns and cities charging vehicles to enter, I'm surprised that the latter rule hasn't been challenged yet.

According to various websites car tax or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is paid directly into the central government fund and is used for projects that benefit everyone including road works and maintenance, the increases in VED is also now attributed to how much emissions your vehicle emits, those with more polluting vehicles pay more VED tax.

According to various news articles, under government orders, councils have been told to curb their air pollution levels (Clean Air Zone (CAZ)) therefore charging people to drive into towns and cities, again this is hitting the poorer who can't afford new vehicles, I drive a hybrid which would now incur a charge for driving into many of these places. 

The question is we are already paying one tax now being forced to pay again under the CAZ for the same tax. How is this legal?

The government can charge any taxes it legislates for, provided that they do not break any other legislation that holds precedence (eg. you could not charge taxes based on race, because it would break laws against discrimination). Also, VED is not a tax and neither are Clean Air Zone charges, and again, the government can levy any duties or charges it wishes, provided they are not legally discriminatory. 

It certainly is.

MattMattMattUK

Car_54 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

electriccafe said:

With the increase of utility bills this year, council tax hikes, car tax increases, fuel costs and now towns and cities charging vehicles to enter, I'm surprised that the latter rule hasn't been challenged yet.

According to various websites car tax or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is paid directly into the central government fund and is used for projects that benefit everyone including road works and maintenance, the increases in VED is also now attributed to how much emissions your vehicle emits, those with more polluting vehicles pay more VED tax.

According to various news articles, under government orders, councils have been told to curb their air pollution levels (Clean Air Zone (CAZ)) therefore charging people to drive into towns and cities, again this is hitting the poorer who can't afford new vehicles, I drive a hybrid which would now incur a charge for driving into many of these places. 

The question is we are already paying one tax now being forced to pay again under the CAZ for the same tax. How is this legal?

The government can charge any taxes it legislates for, provided that they do not break any other legislation that holds precedence (eg. you could not charge taxes based on race, because it would break laws against discrimination). Also, VED is not a tax and neither are Clean Air Zone charges, and again, the government can levy any duties or charges it wishes, provided they are not legally discriminatory. 

It certainly is.

Technically it is a duty rather than a tax, 

Car_54

MattMattMattUK said:

Car_54 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

electriccafe said:

With the increase of utility bills this year, council tax hikes, car tax increases, fuel costs and now towns and cities charging vehicles to enter, I'm surprised that the latter rule hasn't been challenged yet.

According to various websites car tax or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is paid directly into the central government fund and is used for projects that benefit everyone including road works and maintenance, the increases in VED is also now attributed to how much emissions your vehicle emits, those with more polluting vehicles pay more VED tax.

According to various news articles, under government orders, councils have been told to curb their air pollution levels (Clean Air Zone (CAZ)) therefore charging people to drive into towns and cities, again this is hitting the poorer who can't afford new vehicles, I drive a hybrid which would now incur a charge for driving into many of these places. 

The question is we are already paying one tax now being forced to pay again under the CAZ for the same tax. How is this legal?

The government can charge any taxes it legislates for, provided that they do not break any other legislation that holds precedence (eg. you could not charge taxes based on race, because it would break laws against discrimination). Also, VED is not a tax and neither are Clean Air Zone charges, and again, the government can levy any duties or charges it wishes, provided they are not legally discriminatory. 

It certainly is.

Technically it is a duty rather than a tax, 

Technically or otherwise, a duty IS a tax.

Dictionary definition:

"Duty(n) - a tax paid on goods that are bought or imported"

DrEskimo

VED banding is based on CO2 levels.

Clean air zones relate to other emissions from the tailpipe, namely NOx and particulate matter.

I would be very surprised if your hybrid incurred the charge. Most low emission zones I have read, such as the London ULEZ, allow for any post EU4 petrol, which was a requirement for petrol cars manufactured from 2005. So rather contrary to your comment about the poorer people being forced into new cars, when a 17yr old petrol would be exempt.

daveyjp

Which places will a hybrid have to pay? 

Grumpy_chap

Car_54 said:

MattMattMattUK said

Technically it is a duty rather than a tax, 

Technically or otherwise, a duty IS a tax.

Dictionary definition:

"Duty(n) - a tax paid on goods that are bought or imported"

The definition of "duty" in the context of VED must differ from that quoted as there are no goods bought or imported associated with the payment of VED unlike fuel duty, import duty, cigarette duty.

Goudy

Oxford plans a ZEZ rather than a LEZ or ULEZ, so that's a Zero Emissions Zone from February.
This means vehicles emitting more than 0g/km CO2 will be charged, 2 and 3 wheelers included.

Charges are between £2 and £10 a day though they will rise to £4 and £20 in the next three years.
https://www.oxford.gov.uk/info/20299/air_quality_projects/1306/oxford_zero_emission_zone_zez_frequently_asked_questions

Yes Hybrids will have to pay the charge as well.

Car_54

Grumpy_chap said:

Car_54 said:

MattMattMattUK said

Technically it is a duty rather than a tax, 

Technically or otherwise, a duty IS a tax.

Dictionary definition:

"Duty(n) - a tax paid on goods that are bought or imported"

The definition of "duty" in the context of VED must differ from that quoted as there are no goods bought or imported associated with the payment of VED unlike fuel duty, import duty, cigarette duty.

Indeed. Even the government call it a "tax". See https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables

ontheroad1970

Car_54 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

Car_54 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

electriccafe said:

With the increase of utility bills this year, council tax hikes, car tax increases, fuel costs and now towns and cities charging vehicles to enter, I'm surprised that the latter rule hasn't been challenged yet.

According to various websites car tax or Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is paid directly into the central government fund and is used for projects that benefit everyone including road works and maintenance, the increases in VED is also now attributed to how much emissions your vehicle emits, those with more polluting vehicles pay more VED tax.

According to various news articles, under government orders, councils have been told to curb their air pollution levels (Clean Air Zone (CAZ)) therefore charging people to drive into towns and cities, again this is hitting the poorer who can't afford new vehicles, I drive a hybrid which would now incur a charge for driving into many of these places. 

The question is we are already paying one tax now being forced to pay again under the CAZ for the same tax. How is this legal?

The government can charge any taxes it legislates for, provided that they do not break any other legislation that holds precedence (eg. you could not charge taxes based on race, because it would break laws against discrimination). Also, VED is not a tax and neither are Clean Air Zone charges, and again, the government can levy any duties or charges it wishes, provided they are not legally discriminatory. 

It certainly is.

Technically it is a duty rather than a tax, 

Technically or otherwise, a duty IS a tax.

Dictionary definition:

"Duty(n) - a tax paid on goods that are bought or imported"

You have to be careful with dictionaries sometimes, as they don't necessarily give you the definitions as they really are but how they are accepted as being - hence why certain trendy words end up in the OED.  The two aren't mutually exclusive.