In France, road tax is a one-off fee on registering a new car. After that I assume taxes are raised in fuel sales. That's certainly one of the things the gilets jaunes complained about - rural areas having no public trasnport and thus higher car mileage and thus a higher tax burden despite generally lower wages and fewer public services altogether than their urban and city brethren.
Car dealers can only sell what their tied manufacturer builds so, like the banks, you sue the company, not the salesperson - unless they've sold you a second hand crock.
Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
"The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
Hybrids are gradually becoming more popular here, but not once have I seen an electric charging point so fully electric just isn’t feasible. Electric cars will doubtless be superseded by something else at some point. There is always an environmental cost. Taxing by mileage sounds good in principal, but living in the middle of nowhere with no public transport, driving is a necessity for us, not a luxury. Thus I feel road taxing vehicles according to environmental economy of said vehicle is fairer. Particularly given there is already a whacking tax on fuel, so think of all the fuel taxes you are saving by your low mileage, @Hostafan1!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
I live in the middle of nowhere with no public transport. I see no reason why some cars are exempt from tax , (no idea about in Spain), I have a friend who owns an Aston Martin DB5 ( valued at over £100,000 )which is exempt due it its age. He drives more miles in it a year than I drive mine but pays nothing. Leaving emissions aside, there's also issues of congestion, noise , wear and tear of the actual road surface etc. All cars cause " damage" of some sort, none should be exempt IMHO.
Here road tax is based on a complex formula based on comercial or private use, class, engine size, bhp, tyre size, fuel type etc., that I have never managed to work out how they work it out. Old/classic cars are taxed using the same formula. Cars over 4 years old and commercial vehicles require more frequent MOT/emissions testing. Drivers over 50 have to have 4-yearly medical checks including general health, cognitive abilities, response times, hearing and sight tests.
All great, in theory, so why are old, blind dodderers driving around erratically in equally old 4x4s belching black smoke? Rules are just advisory, it seems. One year we forgot to book in for the annual MOT and it had elapsed for six months before we noticed. Got it MOTd, got another 12 months, nobody blinked an eye. Tax, on the other hand, a day late and the interest starts piling on.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Well the annual vehicle tax is technically an emissions tax and as far as I can see it's incorrectly applied in most cases as it doesn't take into account some types of emissions. Taxing the fuel makes sense as the more you use the more you pay but since most Range Rover owning executives can claim fuel as an expense or get the VAT back then it doesn't really help incentivise economical cars. I can kind of understand that when a car is old enough then you're saving emissions by keeping it on the road rather than scrapping it an buying a new one but it does seem like a perk for classic car owners rather than a genuine reason. I imagine plenty of the people in charge have the odd valuable banger lurking in the garage.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Well the annual vehicle tax is technically an emissions tax and as far as I can see it's incorrectly applied in most cases as it doesn't take into account some types of emissions. Taxing the fuel makes sense as the more you use the more you pay but since most Range Rover owning executives can claim fuel as an expense or get the VAT back then it doesn't really help incentivise economical cars. I can kind of understand that when a car is old enough then you're saving emissions by keeping it on the road rather than scrapping it an buying a new one but it does seem like a perk for classic car owners rather than a genuine reason. I imagine plenty of the people in charge have the odd valuable banger lurking in the garage.
That's my point. My friend would gladly pay his fair share , but his car is over a given age so it's free. My guess is that "modern" cars are less polluting than " old " cars .
I overheard a conversation in the dentists' this morning. A woman has had her driving licence revoked for a year whilst she's having a fainting spell investigated. She lives a 10 minute drive from the dentist, but the only bus takes such a winding route, it takes 2 hours and 37 minutes to get from A to B. She was sent a copy of the rail timetable for trains around Exeter ( an hour's drive from here and that's the nearest station ) and a letter how to claim benefits if she loses her job because she can't get there.
Same here Hostafan, couldn't get anywhere without a car, they’re thinking of opening the local train lines now, not that it will help me much but maybe some would benefit. Was there a station in your town?
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Same here Hostafan, couldn't get anywhere without a car, they’re thinking of opening the local train lines now, not that it will help me much but maybe some would benefit. Was there a station in your town?
yeah, we've still got a bit of the viaduct.
There was talk of an inland rail going via Okehampton to avoid Dawlish but the cost ( £1.5bn ) was deemed too high, so they're moving the track INTO the sea " to avoid the cliff " ( surely avoiding the sea would be better ?, but hey ho ) The very day after saying , "it's too expensive" , Crossrail was awarded AN EXTRA £1.5bn. I I'm sure if they'd said " here's a way to get to London quicker" we might have got it????
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Car dealers can only sell what their tied manufacturer builds so, like the banks, you sue the company, not the salesperson - unless they've sold you a second hand crock.
I see no reason why some cars are exempt from tax , (no idea about in Spain),
I have a friend who owns an Aston Martin DB5 ( valued at over £100,000 )which is exempt due it its age. He drives more miles in it a year than I drive mine but pays nothing.
Leaving emissions aside, there's also issues of congestion, noise , wear and tear of the actual road surface etc. All cars cause " damage" of some sort, none should be exempt IMHO.
All great, in theory, so why are old, blind dodderers driving around erratically in equally old 4x4s belching black smoke? Rules are just advisory, it seems. One year we forgot to book in for the annual MOT and it had elapsed for six months before we noticed. Got it MOTd, got another 12 months, nobody blinked an eye. Tax, on the other hand, a day late and the interest starts piling on.
My guess is that "modern" cars are less polluting than " old " cars .
A woman has had her driving licence revoked for a year whilst she's having a fainting spell investigated. She lives a 10 minute drive from the dentist, but the only bus takes such a winding route, it takes 2 hours and 37 minutes to get from A to B.
She was sent a copy of the rail timetable for trains around Exeter ( an hour's drive from here and that's the nearest station ) and a letter how to claim benefits if she loses her job because she can't get there.
’Whats your favourite Christmas carol’
’jingle Bells and We wish you a Merry Christmas’. !
There was talk of an inland rail going via Okehampton to avoid Dawlish but the cost ( £1.5bn ) was deemed too high, so they're moving the track INTO the sea " to avoid the cliff " ( surely avoiding the sea would be better ?, but hey ho )
The very day after saying , "it's too expensive" , Crossrail was awarded AN EXTRA £1.5bn. I
I'm sure if they'd said " here's a way to get to London quicker" we might have got it????