RedRobin Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 ....Why don't vote Liberal Democrat ? - Simply because they are planning to hike car tax up by literally ten times!! The £210 (or whatever it is for cat #1) would become £2,000....Yes, two thousand pounds! Their thinking is that by doing so they will dissuade us from buying high performance cars. Like heck it will! Many people will just say screw you, pay it with illwill, and carry on enjoying their cars. It will add to the wretched taxman's coffers but not significantly reduce pollution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Presumably it's not quite that simple, they're surely not proposing to hike it to this across the board? Political suicide if so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shao_khan Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Lib dems have some very odd policies....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonl Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 They should scrap car tax and put it on petrol IMO (yes i know they put 70% on already!). But that way everyone pays, the more you use your car, or the bigger your car, the more you pay, simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ari Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Totally agree, much fairer all round. Why should someone who does 1,000 miles a year in a Ferrari pay more than someone doing 50,000 miles a year in an Astra? Although open to abuse by government in stealthily increasing it by the odd penny or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theduisbergkid Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Can I be the one and only supporter of this (rather foolhardy) proposals by the Lib Dems ? Here's my one-eyed logic... If they spend all the extra revenue on public transport, that must be a good thing. If it clears the M1 so I can get to work quicker, than it gets my vote, irrespective of the cost ! OK, its a bit tongue in cheek from me, but see my point ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted May 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Captain Ari - I don't know the detail to be able to report if it's a price hike across the board but I reckon it's likely to cover at least the top 3 or 4 categories. The lowly Mk5 GTI is in cat #2! Btw, have you paid the Customs & Excise duty yet on that crate of black silk stockings you recently smuggled in on your boat ? [Fern is very grateful] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilB Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 I've always said that if the Lib Dems ever get into power, I'm moving out of the country. How about having a nationbal insurance fund on fuel aswell, would save the hastle of getting non-insured drivers then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted May 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Can I be the one and only supporter of this (rather foolhardy) proposals by the Lib Dems ? Here's my one-eyed logic... If they spend all the extra revenue on public transport, that must be a good thing. If it clears the M1 so I can get to work quicker, than it gets my vote, irrespective of the cost ! OK, its a bit tongue in cheek from me, but see my point ? [/ QUOTE ] ....Certainly I get your point. That's why I suggested that many people would in fact pay it - So they could blast up and down the M1 etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 The suggestion is to increase it to £2000 for only the very top end (5-10%) - presumably on emissions. It isn't a bad idea, though I'm not sure it'll have the desired effect - as Robin says, people who can afford cars at that end of the scale will just pay it anyway with bad grace (and let's face it, they're hardly likely to be Lib Dem voters in the first place). If it did become policy, I'd like to see a reduced rate for high emission cars doing under (say) 3k miles a year. Those with Ferraris and suchlike that only come out on summer weekends are hardly the worst polluters on an annual basis. On balance I'm not overly keen on it. I actually think a form of road pricing might be better, though there are issues with that too, particularly the potential for pushing heavy traffic onto minor roads. As mentioned, the other option is to scrap road tax and put it on fuel - you'd barely notice the £200 or so if it was spread out as around a fiver on a every tankful... I definitely support the detail of the policy behind the suggestion - that road/fuel tax revenue should actually be spent on the transport infrastructure. i.e. giving us realistic alternatives to driving the car to work every day. At a very general level, I want to see policies that are anti-pollution, not anti-car. There's a subtle difference. Finally, it's a pretty sad state of affairs if one single policy suggestion on something like road tax dictates how you intend to vote. There are more pressing issues out there... (although it could be argued that there are few more pressing than the environment now we have a better idea of how much damage we're doing to it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theduisbergkid Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] I definitely support the detail of the policy behind the suggestion - that road/fuel tax revenue should actually be spent on the transport infrastructure. i.e. giving us realistic alternatives to driving the car to work every day. [/ QUOTE ] Amen to that ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcool Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 How about adding it to insurance premiums? You have to declare what mileage you do (ish) to the insurers so they could charge the applicable road tax (maybe a set £ per 1000 miles depending on type of car) and then the Government can claw that tax directly from the insurers? I dont think the voting public would support another tax being put on our fuel, irrespective of whether or not the actual RFL was removed in its current sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonl Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 putting it on petrol is the ONLY way to guarantee that everyone (or at least 99%) of drivers pay. Including the illegal imports who just love to drain and abuse our country. Its easy to avoid paying insurance, all too easy. As for the Lib Dems, i doubt that fecker will even be alive come the next election, he looks fit for the morgue already. Cameroon will be next PM, no question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Menzies Campbell is 64, and probably alot fitter than you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djcool Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Its easy to avoid paying insurance, all too easy. [/ QUOTE ] A problem that needs a solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayerbloke Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Political suicide if so. [/ QUOTE ] Before the last election, the figures they were producing effectively meant any household earning over £20k would be paying 50% income tax. This is exactly the sort of insane plan they'd go ahead with. Worryingly, a couple of top Tory guys recently said road tax should be £5k a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrisg Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Menzies Campbell is 64, and probably alot fitter than you. [/ QUOTE ] no he isn't ..... I believe it was his 65th birthday yesterday !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 Oops! sayerbloke - I've no idea where you got the 50% income tax for households earning over £20k from, but it's utter nonsense - for a start that would cover well over half the households in the country. There was a suggested policy of introducing a top rate of 50% for earnings over £100k, but even that is under review. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted May 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Its easy to avoid paying insurance, all too easy. [/ QUOTE ] A problem that needs a solution. [/ QUOTE ] ....Already under way: Police now have both the technology and powers to scan a passing car's plate, check if insured in mere seconds, give chase and confiscate and crush car if unsatisfactory evidence is forthcoming. Hampshire have apparently crushed approx 1,100 cars in the first month! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayerbloke Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] sayerbloke - I've no idea where you got the 50% income tax for households earning over £20k from, but it's utter nonsense - for a start that would cover well over half the households in the country. There was a suggested policy of introducing a top rate of 50% for earnings over £100k, but even that is under review. [/ QUOTE ] I worked it out at the time and that's roughly what it worked out at. Totally unworkable policy, but since when has that stopped the LDs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayerbloke Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] Its easy to avoid paying insurance, all too easy. [/ QUOTE ] A problem that needs a solution. [/ QUOTE ] ....Already under way: Police now have both the technology and powers to scan a passing car's plate, check if insured in mere seconds, give chase and confiscate and crush car if unsatisfactory evidence is forthcoming. Hampshire have apparently crushed approx 1,100 cars in the first month! [/ QUOTE ] So if it turns out they have made a mistake, what happens then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] sayerbloke - I've no idea where you got the 50% income tax for households earning over £20k from, but it's utter nonsense - for a start that would cover well over half the households in the country. There was a suggested policy of introducing a top rate of 50% for earnings over £100k, but even that is under review. [/ QUOTE ] I worked it out at the time and that's roughly what it worked out at. Totally unworkable policy, but since when has that stopped the LDs... [/ QUOTE ] Then you got your sums horribly wrong matey. Happy Birthday by the way! (Don't suppose you got a new calculator did you? ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie_d Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Can I be the one and only supporter of this (rather foolhardy) proposals by the Lib Dems ? Here's my one-eyed logic... If they spend all the extra revenue on public transport, that must be a good thing. If it clears the M1 so I can get to work quicker, than it gets my vote, irrespective of the cost ! OK, its a bit tongue in cheek from me, but see my point ? [/ QUOTE ] No offence mate, but do you seriously think that any sizeable proportion of that money would actually be spent on improving public transport? The govt. have dug themselves into a hole, they say cars are evil, yet we have no public transport, so they look at improving the road network, but cars are evil, why make it easier for them to be evil... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayerbloke Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 [ QUOTE ] Then you got your sums horribly wrong matey. Happy Birthday by the way! (Don't suppose you got a new calculator did you? ) [/ QUOTE ] Thanks, and No Regardless, with the possible exception of a green party victory, I still think there'd be nothing worse for the future of the country than an LD government. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted May 24, 2006 Report Share Posted May 24, 2006 I guess we'll have to disagree on that. Though I have to admit it'll be interesting to see if there's any substance whatsoever behind Cameron's new touchy feely "compassionate" Conservatism. Could be an interesting few years to come. I can't see Middle England being taken with Gordon Brown, but I'm not sure the swing will be big enough to hand the Tories a decent majority. The Lib Dems could have the two big parties by the balls! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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