UK doubles road tax on gas guzzlers, some green cars go free
Road tax bills are now nearly double for gas guzzlers in the United Kingdom. As expected, Chancellor Gordon Brown announced increases in the annual vehicle excise duty would jump to 300 British pounds, but high-mileage vehicles will be charged 400 pounds. Owners of green cars such hybrids get a tax break with some vehicles like the Honda Insight (shown) paying nothing. Taxes on gasoline are also going up. Critics say the government is punishing large families who need bigger vehicles.
[Source: Daily Record]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Devilstower 2:40PM (3/22/2007)
Shouldn't that be LOW mileage vehicles pay $400?
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Peter 3:00PM (3/22/2007)
Vehicles that hold more people do not have to be low mileage. You can fit more people and stuff in a minivan than you'd ever fit in an SUV. Most minivans return mpg in the low to mid 20s (compared to most full size SUVs which return high teens). Plus, they actually get better safety ratings than SUVs and tend to be cheaper.
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Tush 4:03PM (3/22/2007)
I second that, Peter.
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nicky ill 3:19PM (3/23/2007)
ACTUALLY, most of the SUV's in the UK are running on diesel and it is common to approach 30mpg - petrol versions getting under 20mpg are the rarity...
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Dan 9:02AM (3/29/2007)
Perhaps it shouldn't be called road tax but emmisions tax. Road tax should be by weight of vehicle, and the heavier the car the more likely its doing more damage to the roads, isn't road tax for road repairs?
Any are we not paying enougth for fuel anyway? if the government charges us for emmisions (which they do on new vehicles) who are the government paying, its mother nature thats being effected and the goverment are taking money for it.
Also i dont agree with the car above being tax free, surely its going to damange the roads just as much as a small car anyway.
Also where does out road tax go? so many roads have pot holes, roads are un even, they get dug up and never put back right. Roads are getting worse.
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