Budget and the rumoured £400 RFL

[Jerry]

What do we think this will do to the V8's?

Personally, I think its yet another nail in their coffin.

However, it will also be applied to my current car the Focus - in fact I think it will make those of us on a budget think seriously about what cars we buy in the future!

Back to the 260 - I think the market will now speak and reduce prices further. WHY: RFL - 5000mile service intervals - tyres that require replacing at 7000 miles and of course mpg as fuel approaches £5 a gallon.

Should mean a few bargains out there for anyone who must have that V8 rumble.

[Mat C]

I thought this new high band only applied to a new car on it's 1st registration ? After that, each year it comes down so it wont affect any of us hopefuly ! :)

[Jerry]

I thought this new high band only applied to a new car on it's 1st registration ? After that, each year it comes down so it wont affect any of us hopefuly ! :)

If new owners are affected - that's clearly wrong. All should be taxed if people want to drive.

But what I disagree with is the fact they call it a GREEN TAX - its TAX and that's that!

Plus I object strongly with all levels of TAX levied against all of us.

[FATurbo - EXPRESS]

Wonder if the Government will be taxing the RAF everytime the jets deployed in two war zones will be taxed especially as one is an illegal war and the other is a war we'll never win. Just think of all that needless CO2.

[Jerry]

Wonder if the Government will be taxing the RAF everytime the jets deployed in two war zones will be taxed especially as one is an illegal war and the other is a war we'll never win. Just think of all that needless CO2.

Hey!

Needless CO2 is mothers dropping off kids at school - when walking or busses would do.

Needless CO2 is all those wasted car journeys.

But as mentioned drivers should not be discriminated against. If you drive a vehicle that pollutes you should pay! It's a personal choice you make - drive a vehicle that pollutes or a Matiz. Of course anyone who frequentes forums like this, are petrolheads and like such vehicles - so we are those that moan loudest. But a V6, V8 or turbo isn't required for normal journeys. Basically, I suppose the government are saying if you can afford such a vehicle you pay. This isn't the only country that discourages gas guzzling cars - Ireland - Holland - Italy also have such policies.

[Mat C]

But the plan is ultimatley still vastly flawed. For example, my £6000 ZS180 is now in the same class as a £100,000 Porsche because it's over 226g CO2/KM yet my car is a cheap 2nd hand car, not a tycoons play thing. I use it to get to work and back each week and for basic commuting - i'm doing maybe 100 miles a week and then every now and then a longer haul trip to watch a race or something. Then there's cars such as Porsches and Ferraris. Cars like this are generaly used very infrequently so my arguement would be that they are polluting less than any other car. Take the aforementioned Matiz. These sort of cars are constantly pottering around town, usualy in 2nd gear using more petrol and probably covering 250~300 miles per week and the same with company cars such as Focus's, Mondeos, Astras, Vectras etc. The sollution is the old chestnut really - pay road tax as we drive. We can't add it on petrol as we already pay through the nose, we can't all add a blackbox type of gadget to our cars and get charged that way as how do you work out a fee that would be the equivelant of 15,000 miles for a similar amount to the tax disc ? I don't know what the answer is but constant discrimination against larger engines is Dickenzian and borderline facism in it's execution.

[Rally Matt]

Whats wrong with Co2?

Plants love it.

Oh sorry thats not what the Greenpeace propaganda machine want people to realise.

Truth is this country is bankrupt. safe hands Gordon hasn't done such a good job after all and now everyone will have to cough up.

What I find difficult to understand is this,

put tax up on gas guzzling cars, so owners sell the beast for a crappy tin box with 2 engines and is less energy efficent across its life to get cheap tax.

What happens to the gas guzzling beast? Well someone sees a heavily depreciated bargain and buys it, and DRIVES it. The effect on the planet is zero, the cars are not taken off the road, people just loose huge amounts of money in depreciation!!!!!

All these Green politics are a waste of time. the issues are not what people are being really told and the solutions are at best ineffective and at worst wasteful and expensive.

[FATurbo - EXPRESS]

Like everything Matt, the Minister that supposedly run this country do not practice what they preach. If so, out would go the gas guzzling Jaguars, BMW's and Rover 75's currently used as ministerial barges and in would come the Toyota Prius(sp).

[Jerry]

Like everything Matt, the Minister that supposedly run this country do not practice what they preach. If so, out would go the gas guzzling Jaguars, BMW's and Rover 75's currently used as ministerial barges and in would come the Toyota Prius(sp).

We pay for those - but like everything if you can afford the luxury fine. And lets face it a V8 on todays roads is a luxury. Still, I do fancy such an animal and if I did - I'm more than prepared tp pay the VED on it, as its a very selfish thing to own these days.

In fact I can always see myself having a high VED as all the cars I like are in such bands - it will only get worse for the petrolheads out there.