Three times as many drivers evading tax since the tax disc was abolished

[HEADRAT]

Diesels are likely to get hit on Wednesday in the budget, no doubt there will be some changes to VED rates as well.

But why are they taring all diesels with the same brush, a modern diesel car with a particulate filter does't cause a problem, it's ancient lorries, buses etc that spew out all the ****

I've not heard one report on any media platform saying "hang on a minute this isn't right"!

 

[NeedAUsername]

I bought my car in 2014 and drove past a cop car on the day with no tax. Last year, my MOT ran out and I didn't realise my direct debits for tax had stopped, drove for about 3-4 weeks without any issue. Never stopped to tell me my car isn't taxed.

 

[Nasher]

My sister drove around for ages with no tax (forgot it expired :/). Only got a fine after going through a fixed ANPR camera on the way out of town. Quite silly seeing as there are 2 police stations in town within a mile of each other, so you see cop cars all day and night in the area. The fine wasn't even that much afaik.

 

[Entai]

It's a joke that for my 10k miles per year I am paying the same VED as a sales rep doing 40k.

But he is paying far more on fuel duty, he uses it more he pays more.

VED is purely a tax on ownership, it is nothing to do with how much you use your vehicle, nor is it a tax to help pay for roads etc, it has not been that since 1937.

The tax you pay on fuel is your tax on vehicle usage.

Use your vehicle more, you use more fuel, you pay more tax, all very straight forward.

 

[theone8181]

You already do is my point.

Less efficient car = More VED
More Miles = More Fuel duty

To me it sounds like a very good system in its current form. it's just they need to measure efficient cars properly. not just on certain emissions but all pollutants.

So all these diesels that have been implicated (which pay less road tax) are better for the environment than petrols that can meet their targets?

 

[Psycho Sonny]

So all these diesels that have been implicated (which pay less road tax) are better for the environment than petrols that can meet their targets?

I urge you to read the second part of what you quoted again. I agree the testing of what is deemed a polluting car needs changing so it also hits diesel.

Their is no way for instance a mini cooper d should be £20 a year.

But why are they taring all diesels with the same brush, a modern diesel car with a particulate filter does't cause a problem, it's ancient lorries, buses etc that spew out all the ****

I've not heard one report on any media platform saying "hang on a minute this isn't right"!

Ermm. I'm pretty sure that is wrong. I have seen plenty of modern diesels spewing plumes of black smoke out onto the road. Especially ones used as taxi's. Also the emissions they do release are far more harmful to humans and other animals. Whereas the ones petrol release are more harmful to the environment.

Diesels need proper testing not just on co2.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Their is no way for instance a mini cooper d should be £20 a year.

Go back a bit and they were exempt even as they fell below 100 when that got you free tax.

They have to do something with older cars even, or people will try to keep them on the road for ever!

 

[DampDog]

They have to do something with older cars even, or people will try to keep them on the road for ever!

Has anyone actually done the sums to see which has the biggest impact on the environment. Say buying a car new today and keeping it 20 years, vs swapping it for a new vehicle every 3 years. I'm sure the trend for each generation of vehicles having lower emissions would have an effect, but what about the environmental impact of manufacturing a new vehicle every 3 years. I'm surprised someone hasn't come up with the idea of a common platform which keeps the running gear and replaces outdated engines with something more efficient as and when it arrives. With modern manufacturing methods building a car that would have a life-span of 25+ years is doable.

 

[Mercenary Keyboard Warrior]

Has anyone actually done the sums to see which has the biggest impact on the environment. Say buying a car new today and keeping it 20 years, vs swapping it for a new vehicle every 3 years. I'm sure the trend for each generation of vehicles having lower emissions would have an effect, but what about the environmental impact of manufacturing a new vehicle every 3 years. I'm surprised someone hasn't come up with the idea of a common platform which keeps the running gear and replaces outdated engines with something more efficient as and when it arrives. With modern manufacturing methods building a car that would have a life-span of 25+ years is doable.

Its constantly evolving. For years cars have been getting bigger and heavier, due to mainly safety devices, and our relentless want for loads of tiny motors to do things like adjust the lumbar, wind down the window or move the wing mirror
The latest generations are starting to share platforms and these are being more refined and saving weight. Lastest TT for example shares the chassis across the VW group, is better and about 50kgs lighter.

The engines are one of the most expensive bits of the car as it is. Would you spend £10k replacing the engine in a 5 year old car? Currently the maths say its daft, its hard to see a way that will change in the future unless the chassis get massively more expensive. Plus the true EVs tend to be built differently with the batteries forming part of the whole, how those are going to be recycled is more the issue to me, replacing them with new will probably cost more than buying a new car, you would have to practically disassemble the car to change the batteries!

 

[DampDog]

Its constantly evolving. For years cars have been getting bigger and heavier, due to mainly safety devices, and our relentless want for loads of tiny motors to do things like adjust the lumbar, wind down the window or move the wing mirror
The latest generations are starting to share platforms and these are being more refined and saving weight. Lastest TT for example shares the chassis across the VW group, is better and about 50kgs lighter.

The engines are one of the most expensive bits of the car as it is. Would you spend £10k replacing the engine in a 5 year old car? Currently the maths say its daft, its hard to see a way that will change in the future unless the chassis get massively more expensive. Plus the true EVs tend to be built differently with the batteries forming part of the whole, how those are going to be recycled is more the issue to me, replacing them with new will probably cost more than buying a new car, you would have to practically disassemble the car to change the batteries!

Yeah I realise cars have been sharing common platforms for years, but that not what I meant. I was thinking more along the lines of vehicles having a "Din-size" for engines and associated electronics so that at some point in the future as engine technology evolves components could be replaced easily (or easier than they are now) As you say the engine is the most expensive part of the car by quite a margin. That said with all the smoke and mirrors around how emissions are actually measured I'm not convinced by some of the claims made about engine emissions anyway. We live in a different world from say our grandparents where they had a make do and mend philosophy. Today the whole world economy is based on us replacing nigh on everything we own every few years with the next shiny new thing. Cars are just part of that especially if we are told it's kinder on the planet than the last one we had.