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| Britain |
| Drivers punished for going green |
| 2012-05-31 |
| The divine law of unintended consequences in action. Motorists face having to pay increased road tax as the Treasury considers plans to claw back hundreds of millions of pounds in revenue that will be lost as drivers opt for greener cars. The electric company and water works will employ the same philosophy... The talks come as ministers try to prevent a fall in tax revenues as more motorists choose smaller, cleaner cars that incur a lower rate of duty. Labour has accused the Coalition of planning a "stealth tax" on drivers, effectively punishing them for going green. Ministers say that while they have not finalised their plans, changes may be necessary to ensure the "sustainability of the public finances". One option being considered would replace the annual tax on cars with a one-off up-front charge on new vehicles when they are sold. Chloe Smith, a Treasury minister, told the Commons last week that ministers are "considering whether Vehicle Excise Duty should be reformed to support the sustainability of public finances and to reflect the improvements in vehicle fuel efficiency". As part of that process, motoring groups and other interested parties have been invited into the Treasury to discuss potential changes to VED. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #5 Frank, be careful of what you speak, as ideas are coming from DC and the NHSTA that would require every 2014 model year car and light truck ( including the ever-popular F-150) to be equipped with the dreaded GPS. new cars already have, as part of OBD-II an 8 second or so 'track back' data recorder that has been used in several accident cases to show speeding that the time of the crash. once you accept that insurance check for a totaled car that data now belongs to the Good Hands People. |
| Posted by: USN,Ret 2012-05-31 23:29 |
| #4 Tax our "seat", or the more likely to tax even our "sweat"??? Lest we fergit, TOPIX > MEDVEDEV: INFRINGEMENT ON NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY [by Foreign State(s)] COULD LEAD TO NUCLEAR APOCALYPSE, as well destruction of World Order. AKA our future desired OWG-NWO that no American = Amerikan of the USA = USSA, USRoA has voted for, been asked to vote on, nor will be asked to vote on iff Politicos have their choice. [OCCUPY MOVEMENT + GREECE, SPANISH RIOTS here]. US Civil War II as early as 2015, Breakup of the US into 20 or so sovereign polities after 2020??? and * CHINA DAILY FORUM > THE SHEEPLE MUST SUFFER FOR WASHINGTON'S SINS. London's sins??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2012-05-31 23:05 |
| #3 It's quietly moving this way here too. Gas tax money pays for roads/bridges maintenance and construction (when it's not pilfered for other spending/earmarks). The rise in gas prices and increase in mileage/gallon has led to a general drop in revenues. What to do? I've attended programming seminars where they openly discuss getting the same revenue via other methods: 1) black boxes (for "accident reconstruction/safety" of course, that will have transponders that measure your position via GPS to charge you for miles travelled whether via hybrid/electric only/4x4 F-150 (rrrrrr) 2) Constructing only multi-user lanes in teh future - which single drivers can use - for a fee, of course, with premium pricing when the traffic is higher. I.E.: when most people are forced to commute via hours dictated by their employers |
| Posted by: Frank G 2012-05-31 09:41 |
| #2 It's the same program to 'cut back' on anything [but government] like water, electricity, etc. As soon as the users cut back, revenue drops and 'suddenly' the powers to be must raise taxes/fees to cover the shortfall. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2012-05-31 08:44 |
| #1 should be reformed to support the sustainability of public finances And there, in a nutshell, is the driving force behind virtually all government policy. And then, as the Beatles put it, they'll tax your seat. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2012-05-31 08:27 |