[JerzyBondov]

Anyone else looked at the new costs for Road Tax for next year? Not good for R53 MCS owners - we'll be shelling out £300 a year, which to be honest seems quite a lot to be paying on a Mini...

Quite annoying how the government appears to have ditched any revenue-neutral taxation when it comes to cars - it's all about raking it in, not necessarily changing behaviour...

[hoojkel]

exactly!! They're desperate to get more cash in anyway they can. Economy's up the left and they owe billions to the bank. Answer, shaft 9 million motorists for an extra couple of hundred quid a year and say its to prevent emissions getting worse? Its all a big con and everyone knows it. Cars up to 7 years old are going to get hit whereas newer cleaner? cars are least affected. Again ,all depends on how you drive a car and how often which affects emissions. So answer is to either pay the tax or buy a brand new car,err and pay tax on that too!!

Quote from the Times:
"In the 2006 budget, the then chancellor, Gordon Brown, introduced a new highest rate of duty - band G - but said that no car registered before March 23, 2006, would be affected.

However, under the new tax regime announced by Alistair Darling in the March budget, which will come into effect next April, there will be no exemption from the highest band - and the rates are going up."
Talk about an about-turn!!

[Ant FR]

there was a post on it back when the budget changed it in March

[JerzyBondov]

Old news then. Sorry everyone

[ViscountCharles]

What's bizarre is that my MCS will cost me £300 next year, but if you drive an old Rover V8 from first registered before 2001, you'll only pay £185.

I have no idea about CO2 levels from a 3.5L Rover (they hadn't heard of CO2 in the 70s), but I'd be willing to bet my MCS that itputs out far more CO2 and is generally worse for the environment than a modern MINI.

[Mr Slippy]

yep - but when has common sense and the govt (any colour) gone together.

Main reason I didn't go for a cooper s was the scandalous road tax, I'm sorry to say but surely it's got to hit hard next year onwards for reselling.

Fapping wicked cars though!

[batou]

Just been talking to a guy at work.

He drives a Fiesta 1.4 TDCI which is as follows and does over 20k miles per year:
£30.00 for 12 months and 119 CO2 (g/km)

Mine is £300.00 f or 12 months and 207 CO2 (g/km) ... I do less than 10k miles per year, and cycle to work 4-5 days a week.

He produces over 15% more CO2 per year than I do, causes 50% more congestion and I pay 10 times more annual road tax.

I think its time to find a new country.

[afiy2k]

Quote: Originally Posted by batou (original)

Just been talking to a guy at work.

He drives a Fiesta 1.4 TDCI which is as follows and does over 20k miles per year:
£30.00 for 12 months and 119 CO2 (g/km)

Mine is £300.00 f or 12 months and 207 CO2 (g/km) ... I do less than 10k miles per year, and cycle to work 4-5 days a week.

He produces over 15% more CO2 per year than I do, causes 50% more congestion and I pay 10 times more annual road tax.

I think its time to find a new country.

What my suggestion is that the government should make drivers declare how many miles a year they would do when purchasing road tax, then calculate against how much CO2 the car produces to see a yearly cost.

To work around people lying about how many miles they do, this should all be linked to a central database which includes MOT certificates.
That way they can see how many miles drivers have done between MOTs and calculate an average, then compare that to the miles declared at the point of purchase.
Or even work on a charge later scheme, if someone declares 10K miles and the MOT shows they did 12K then they get charged at the end of the tax year.

[Bhozar]

They could just tax us for every mile we do, and work out the emissions by how much fuel we burn.

Oh yeah, its called fuel duty!

[Rigsey]

Quote: Originally Posted by afiy2k (original)

What my suggestion is that the government should make drivers declare how many miles a year they would do when purchasing road tax, then calculate against how much CO2 the car produces to see a yearly cost.

To work around people lying about how many miles they do, this should all be linked to a central database which includes MOT certificates.
That way they can see how many miles drivers have done between MOTs and calculate an average, then compare that to the miles declared at the point of purchase.
Or even work on a charge later scheme, if someone declares 10K miles and the MOT shows they did 12K then they get charged at the end of the tax year.

They do something like this in NZ for diesels - its seems to work quite well ...

[JerzyBondov]

Quote: Originally Posted by ViscountCharles (original)

What's bizarre is that my MCS will cost me £300 next year, but if you drive an old Rover V8 from first registered before 2001, you'll only pay £185.

I have no idea about CO2 levels from a 3.5L Rover (they hadn't heard of CO2 in the 70s), but I'd be willing to bet my MCS that itputs out far more CO2 and is generally worse for the environment than a modern MINI.

Does this mean that my colleague who drives an X-reg (2000) 4.2l Audi S6 Avant that does about 13mpg will pay £115 less road tax than me and my Mini? Nice one government - that really encourages people to get into an efficient new car...

At least it doesn't cost me £90 to fill up. Yet.

[Vitesse]

Get yourself a car registered before January 1st, 1973 and you get you tax for nothing.

Which is a bit ironic really because most of those cars used to kick out CO2 in lump form.

[MarkW]

yep labours ignorance and narrow minded approach could well see more polluting pre 01 cars on the road to avoid the tax increases.

but then they've screwed up the ecomony so much they are dependent on fuel duty increases along with others to keep afloat. the 10p tax fiasco is costing the country an extra 7 billion already

[Fin]

It is a joke.

[Scrogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by batou (original)

I think its time to find a new country.

I'm pretty sure they've all been found already

[DO05ERS]

Quote: Originally Posted by MarkXR (original)

yep labours ignorance and narrow minded approach could well see more polluting pre 01 cars on the road to avoid the tax increases.

Something tells me they won't be making any more pre-2001 for them to put on the road.

Would you seriously swap a new MINI for a pre 2001 anything for the sake of £115? I think my Cooper's VED is going down anyhow, I must have done something right!

[Mosposco]

Quote: Originally Posted by Scrogg (original)

I'm pretty sure they've all been found already

You obviously don't use a TomTom

[Jaffa Racer]

Surly "road tax" is all about a tax to use the roads, damage your vehicle causes to the roads or goes towards new road delopment?

We already have a green tax, its on the fuel, the more you use the more you pay seems easy to me?

Oh and have you seen you can tax a 7.5t truck for £175 per year

The cost of vehicle tax for large rigid and articulated goods vehicles : Directgov - Motoring

[Teardrop2929]

I read somewhere how to maximise your time until the new rates come in (its commen sense but the tought had compltly passed me by! :-))

It said if you have to renew your tax before mid Septmber then stick 6 months on it, then stick another 12 months on it after that.

I was panicking as mine is up soon and thought right I'll do 12 months quick while its still cheaper, but am going to go the 6 month route now then in Jan put 12 months on!

Know I am delaying the inevibtle but its worth a go )

[mini-millie-n-dan]

Anyone know if my 2001 Cooper will have a mega increase? It's currently about £140 a year. Thanks