I think the news today about the Stern report will be pretty far reaching for motorists. Transport accounts for over 21% of carbon dioxide emissions in the UK.
As I mentioned elsewhere I was in Bruges last month and our taxi driver mentioned that a VW Tourag incurred an initial registration tax of €5000 and an annual road tax of €3000 compare this with a maximum UK road tax of £210 for an SUV. Hold on this ride is not going to be a nice one .
Now about 37% of all Carbon Dioxide emissions come from industry (given the decline of our industrial sector over the last 30 years this is a bit of a surprise. There is always the law of unintended consequences. Take for instance by abolishing the 11+ and the Grammar Schools Labour was trying to make education more equitable. In fact since this took place the percentage of working class kids going to university and the professions has been dropping every year. The Grammar schools were putting private schools out of business but with the abolition of the Grammar schools private education has flourished.
If we put stricter regs on what little industry remains here they could move to China and India where there are no regulations and even pollute more.
Even on cars it's hard to judge. Palmira may only use his Range Rover to drive his dear old mum to synagogue/church/mosque each week while I could drive my Berlingo from John O'Groats to Lands End each week. A rise in fuel tax would have a greater impact on this scenario than a rise in Road Tax on SUVs.
My mum isnt "old" - shes in her 50s and capable of driving her own Mercedes hither & thither! No doubt the tax invaders will be outside synagogues because thats where alot of Range Rovers , Mercedes etc will be parked - the Jewish people are well regarded as business owners & high tax payers.
Blair had better pray they havent got rid of the passports from their original countries, otherwise they will leave, drive their Range Rovers etc elsewhere and he will not get any of the revenue from their businesses!
Just what the hell do the government think they are doing proposing more taxes upon the poor motorist?! Tax tax tax. That seems to tbe the government's answer to everything these days.
What will more tax solve? Nothing. Extracting more money from the public will have absolutley zero impact upon carbon emissions.
We have all experienced the undiluted pleasure and freedom of personal transport for decades now and the liberty afforded to us by cars will not be given up lightly.
The government are tackling the symptoms, and not the cause of the real environmental issues. Approximately 38% of the world's carbon emissions are produced by power stations and industry. Cars and planes don't actually contribute the majority proportion of the world's Co2. A far greater proportion of Co2 is produced by industry, cargo ships, trains, trucks, factories etc etc.
Instead, the government should be targetting the major polluters (e.g., powerstations & industry) with legislation for clean energy production - not taxing joe public for using a car that has already sent 17.5% of its cost + ongoing petrol taxes to the treasury!
As car enthusiasts, we should rise up and unite against this greedy government. If we don't we'll all be either paying through the nose to run our cars, or worse, driving soulless, electric Sinclair C5's!
The root cause of the problem should be addressed, not the easy target, the British motorist.
The Stern report is absoloute rubbish. Its a simple lets look in a crystal ball and come up with some predictions which will allow us to tax the hell out of the citizens of this country more. They are not backed up by any evidence and then they have tried to "cost" the issue! again so they can no doubt say we must pay tax to rectify it. How can they say that a tonne of carbon will cost x number of dollars to deal with? and then guess the level of carbon? you cant do this as you have no idea what the demand and therefore output will be in x number of years time. Its scaremongering and gives the government an excuse to act now.
There is no disputing the world is warming and we need to deal with it but until countries like India, China and most of all the ignorant United States start taking responsibility we might as well not bother as it will be a drop in the ocean wiped out by China.
..yes i do agree craig, but genral apathy of this ort..ie..why should we bother as other countries dont is nonsense...yes we are but 'a drop in the ocean' when it comes to pollution, but if everyone develops more of a social conscience and takes more pride in their surroundings and countryside, the country as a whole will become a better place to live....we may not make a huge difference as a country as we are relatively small as polluters, but ANY difference is a difference if ya catch ma drift......the tibetans etc...have a wonderful outlook on life..they treat everything respectfully, try to spread joy..because they beleive they will be reborn...they genuinely belive that western society is in such a quandry because we believe when were dead were dead so why the hell should we look after the world.....a load of buddhist claptrap maybe, but i reckon if you treat the world and the peole in it respectfully and as if you want to keep it nice for when you come back, you wont go far wrong.....and if people dont give you joy and respect back....give 'em a bloody good right 'ander!!!...feel the love people, feel it...!!
100% about demonizing an easy target in order to rake in more cash to make up for inept governing.
And what's more the figures don't even add up. Let's look at something here. Imagine I'm the proud owner of a Range Rover TDV8. Certainly amongst the 'large' traditional thirsty SUV brigade. I'll be looking to get 25MPG. Versus, let's say 35mpg for an average car.
If we translate that out into doing 25000 miles in each vehicle, the Rangie will use 4500 litres of fuel per year, the car, 3228. With fuel at about 80% tax (at least!) our Rangie owner is giving the government 3,600 our car driver: 2,580.
This is all before road tax etc etc. Surely a grand per SUV per year is enough to plant some bloody trees.
Oh sorry! No it isn't, it's enough to send troops to Afganistan and Iraq in order to best lick Bush's intimate parts.
Fact of the matter is SUV owners ALREADY pay the government for the excess of their vehicles. The more they burn fuel, the more they pay. What IS the problem with this? Why on earth do they need more? Because they can't govern, because they need scapegoats, because people believe what they read, which is delightfully planted spin. Because the UK voter is turning into as brain dead a creature as a US one.
And of course that kind of social concience and respect must go hand in hand with a government which shows respect toward its people.
All the socialists in power do is show total disdain and contempt for the good people of the UK.
They force daft rules and unfair taxes on us, and expect us to just be quiet & pay up. It is always like this when they get in. Obviously i am not old enough (or british enough!!) to remember the 1970s Labour government, but you dont have to go far to see the havoc they caused. Strikes, 98% tax, 3 day working week, militant unions, inflation, a bankrupt motor industry & a nation of dilapidated council housing & dejected people.
This is what gives rise to a load of bad feeling among working (usually middle class) people.
We are being spied upon in London - every day you are on camera 300 times - this is to catch you pulling over on a red route or on single yellows, or if youre unfortunate enough to be caught on a yellow box junction because the traffic in front stops - and therefore con a £100 fine out of us!
Nasty lot, i hope they have a very, very unpleasant reincarnation.
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this is a bit of a surprise. There is always the law of unintended consequences. Take for instance by abolishing the 11+ and the Grammar Schools Labour was trying to make education more equitable. In fact since this took place the percentage of working class kids going to university and the professions has been dropping every year. The Grammar schools were putting private schools out of business but with the abolition of the Grammar schools private education has flourished. 
A rise in fuel tax would have a greater impact on this scenario than a rise in Road Tax on SUVs.
