Yes indeed.
I do hope people take the time to give their views on this consultation. I understand skepticism, but if a large number of people push back with constructive comments, we can improve it.
I'm intending to say:
- The tax should not be paid in advance (fuel duty isn't) and there's no good justification for that, especially as significant numbers of people won't have a predictable mileage.
- By paying in arrears, it is much simplified: you simply enter the mileage you drove the previous year when you retax your car. If you want to spread the cost out, just allow people to pay in instalments as with existing VED.
- To simply buying and selling, simply allow people to update their mileage any time they want during the year, so they can pay for what they've used whenever they like. This will also make it easier for dealers and motor traders.
- To simplify checking the mileage, introduce annual MOTs for all cars from 12 months old. Many new EVs are not receiving regular servicing checks so arguably this is important as there could be serious faults during the first 3 years that are not picked up, especially suspenion-related with heavy cars and bad roads. The additional cost for those able to afford new cars is small and it takes advantage of the existing MOT network.
- To make the scheme more consistent with government goals, revise the existing VED bands for ICE and older cars, so that there is an incentive to move to EVs, rather than hang on to old cars just because they attract £20/£35 VED. EVs should be given an advantage roughly consistent with the goals of this scheme: ie half the cost of comparable ICE vehicles.
- Tie-in the scheme to insurance databases, so that discrepancies between insured mileage and declared mileage can be monitored and used to better detect "clocking".
Of course, it might be better to delay or abandon this scheme altogether in favour of a different solution: eg motorway tolling by ANPR cameras, but that's probably outside the scope of this consultation.
and like it. Then a random lady will knock on your door offering free insulation and double glazing if you stop working and get on benefits. Heavily discounted solar panels. Then when i tell her so I go to work and need to pay 10k for windows while some people get it for free. She looks at me and smiles then put her hand out like she doesn't know how to reply to the statement. Shes dumbfounded.
.
