"Road Tax" - go on enlighten me

[BentMikey]

"Yeah, you owe me a refund."

 

[ufkacbln]

I have!

The reply is simple and truthful - I have - in full!

 

[Arch]

As always - the reply is very simple....

Since 1st MArch 2001 all vehicles are assessed on CO2 emission and fuel used.

As a vehicle emitting less than 100 grammes of CO2 I am in class A

A class A car using deisel costs £0 - yes - nil
A class A vehicle using petrol costs £0 - yes - nil
A class A vehicle using alternative fuels costs £0 - yes - nil


So in summary my cycle is in VED class A and I pay the appropriate amount in full!

I like the cut of your gib, my man. So how do we get all that into one handy, easy-to-remember-and-shout phrase?

"Class A vehicle based on emissions, mate - zero rated!" is about as snappy as I can get it. Whether they understand and get the point, well, that's anybody's guess. Frankly, I suspect some people would choose not to understand it after a 3 year degree course on the subject...

 

[snorri]

but I do spend a bit of time on uk.transport and uk.rec cycling ...

Ahem, nothing more to declare Yorkshireman:?:

 

[Yorkshireman]

I plead the 5th ammendment (or summat) .

 

[piedwagtail91]

just smile, wave and call them a pillock under your breath. we're supposed to be kind to dumb animals, or so i was told - does that include motorists?

 

[habibi]

I find it irritating that even formal agencies, such as the Post Office, AA, and in particular the DirectGov website, actually make reference to "Road Tax". It doesn't do cyclists any favours at all for this term to be used, it reinforces the myth that we are second class road users, and encourages the dodgy attitude of some motorists. Yet i expect that the uk government would be entirely uninterested in actively dispelling the notion, as it is likely favourable in terms of revenue collection that many motorists do erroneously believe that they, and only they, are directly paying for the roads via VED.

 

[Cab]

I think that the best response to the road-tax comment is "Get a bike, moron" or something like that.

Or if its a more relaxed social gathering at which this typical Pavlovian response to cycling being mentioned occurs, simply tell the offender that you pay road tax appropriate to your carbon emissions; i.e. none.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

I think that the best response to the road-tax comment is "Get a bike, moron" or something like that.

Or if its a more relaxed social gathering at which this typical Pavlovian response to cycling being mentioned occurs, simply tell the offender that you pay road tax appropriate to your carbon emissions; i.e. none.

It's not road tax though is it?

 

[BentMikey]

Oh yes, that reminded me of someone's comment back on C+. His response, when there was a female in the car with the driver was to comment "I don't pay for sex either mate, looks like I've beaten you on two counts". Bit too rude for my liking, but very funny!

 

[bonj2]

I find it irritating that even formal agencies, such as the Post Office, AA, and in particular the DirectGov website, actually make reference to "Road Tax".

I'm confused. The DirectGov website is the voice of the government. So surely if they call it road tax, it is road tax?

It doesn't do cyclists any favours at all for this term to be used

You could be forgiven for thinking the simple fact of the matter is that it's just (some) cyclists that don't like the term 'road tax', rather than it not actually being called road tax.

it reinforces the myth that we are second class road users, and encourages the dodgy attitude of some motorists.

I don't see how - motorists who think cyclists should pay it are going to think cyclists should pay it whether it's called road tax or not. Sure, VED is a valid name for it, but so is road tax. The two are synonymous.

Yet i expect that the uk government would be entirely uninterested in actively dispelling the notion, as it is likely favourable in terms of revenue collection that many motorists do erroneously believe that they, and only they, are directly paying for the roads via VED.

Explain how the government are going to collect less money if the term 'road tax' is dispelled by the government.

 

[habibi]

Explain how the government are going to collect less money if the term 'road tax' is dispelled by the government.

If motorists were made fully aware that roads were created and maintained via general taxation, and their VED payments weren't directly related, then the poor lambs really wouldn't be too happy about it, would they. Some might even campaign against it, or refuse to pay. This is why i suggest that the government is not likely to dispel the notion that VED = Road Tax, for that misconception is of benefit to them.

 

[Cab]

It's not road tax though is it?

If you can avoid it, don't ever give the person you're arguing with opportunity to portray your point as merely one of semantics. They're wrong, but they'll just write off your comments from then on. Win the argument first, and then present them with the 'its not road tax anyway' thing as a nail in their coffin; that point follows naturally from the point on emissions anyway.

 

[domd1979]

I think the whole "its VED, not road tax" thing is perhaps erring a little on the pedantic side.

No taxation (or excise duty) is hypothecated for any particular purpose.

Regardless of what you call the disc displayed in the windscreen of a vehicle, or the charge made for it, there is a general ignorance amongst the motoring public about the costs of road transport generally (i.e. the cost to the driver is less than the cost imposed). Changing the term isn't going to alter the fact that some morons think you should pay a fee to use your bicycle. If road tax/VED was free, they'd just resort to "I pay tax on fuel", and failing that the "I pay insurance" line.

The problem stems from the car worshipping attitude that this country has in general, and isn't down to whether you call VED road tax.

 

[bonj2]

If motorists were made fully aware that roads were created and maintained via general taxation, and their VED payments weren't directly related, then the poor lambs really wouldn't be too happy about it, would they. Some might even campaign against it, or refuse to pay. This is why i suggest that the government is not likely to dispel the notion that VED = Road Tax, for that misconception is of benefit to them.

I see your point, but that would only be a tangible reason to keep the term 'road tax' if VED/road tax was optional - but it's not.