Scrap Vehicle Excise Duty

Proposer
Floppy
State

Accepted

Vote Score

2

Age

3365 days


@Floppy edited manifesto/transport.md - about 9 years ago

No new fossil-fuel powered vehicles may be sold in the UK after after 2029.

Scrap Vehicle Excise Duty

As Vehicle Excise Duty is associated with vehicle emissions, it seems fairer to tax the fuel directly. VED should be scrapped, and fuel duty increased to cover the reduction in income. Overall, the tax levied should be lower, due to the removal of the need to administer VED, though the tax will fall more heavily on those who use more fuel, and thus create more carbon emissions.

National Infrastructure Organisations

Network Rail, the Highways Agency, train operating companies and bus operating companies would all be required to become National Infrastructure Organisations (NIOs) under a policy to ensure that infrastructure which is essential to a functioning society is not solely operated for the benefit of private shareholders, but in the national interest.

Floppy

@Floppy - about 9 years ago

Put the tax on fuel instead, saving money on admin, and still having the desired effect of taxing emissions.

otfrom

@otfrom - about 9 years ago

but doesn't put a tax on the emissions of creating the vehicle

Floppy

@Floppy - about 9 years ago

I don't think VED does that now, and I'd prefer that embodied carbon cost (for everything) would be included in a proper carbon pricing regime. After all, under VED, a huge electric vehicle would still be zero-rated, as it's based on exhaust emissions.

tmtmtmtm

@tmtmtmtm - about 9 years ago

I'd prefer the argument for this was backed up by something stronger than "it seems fairer". This is presumably something that there's already been quite a lot of research into, and that different countries will have deliberately chosen different approaches to. Is there a good summary of the issue somewhere?

Floppy

@Floppy - about 9 years ago

Agree the "seems fairer" wording is vague. Is there a general principle of taxing the thing you're measuring directly as opposed to indirectly? What's that called? Direct/indirect is something else...

Floppy

@Floppy - about 9 years ago

A summary of "road taxes" from around the world: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_tax. Most seem to be based on emissions, but such a tax is nowhere near universal, and some, such as France's, have been abolished and replaced with more direct measures.

Floppy

@Floppy - about 9 years ago

I suspect there is a different PR to be made on tax philosophy in general, but I'd prefer not to get into that here.