Apparently the petition only has another month, and needs another 500,000 signatures...

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/traveltax


Why replace a more expensive system over something that already punishes you for excessive CO2 emissions?

Yes, since getting my new car I fall into the band just below 4x4's, I think, it may be the same group...I don't want to be paying more!

ah - that's the other gripe i've got... why charge extra road tax for inefficient/high emission vehicles when they use more fuel and pay more tax anyway.

a good comparison - I had a Landy for a year or so, but only took it out on the odd evening or weekend... while it was a gas guzzler (17 mpg - when cruising at 50), the total emissions for the journeys made was far below my primary car which was a VW Bora diesel that ran 17,000 miles a year...

it seems like the government is scared to simply raise fuel duties again - but think that we won't notice a second or third tax on essentially the same thing? surely one tax is more efficient, and will cost less to administer...

Personally when getting a car, thinking about what you NEED instead of WANT is a good thing to do. Im planning on getting a new car in about 9 months time and Ill be looking for a small run arround car as thats all I really need.

If you need a large car due to having kids or needing lots of space to transport equipment, you would need a bigger car. If you need to take equipment to camp, get a car powerful enough to pull a trailer and borrow a trailer so youre not pulling around empty space.

I like the idea of paying per mile, just put road tax onto petrol, that way nobody can avoid paying it like some people do now. And it'd be very cheap to implement - also foreign lorries would be forced to pay UK road tax, after all they're using our roads. I guess that wouldn't go down too well with the EU.

I'm a bit of a hater of 4x4s, well not necessarily 4x4s but gas guzzlers. In my view they're dangerous for other road users and pedestrians, not to mention the occupants, as one study only last week pointed out. And I think anything less than 30mpg is inexcusible to be honest, my car only does 40 and I think that's far too low. It made me laugh last week in the snow, on the local news two 4x4's had toppled over as their overconfident drivers overestimated their cars abilities! In particular I hate the way people buy freelanders and Rav4's and the like, and never ever take them off road (must be 90% at least). Compare a freelander to a mondeo estate: the mondeo is cheaper, more economical, way more spacious, safer, more stable, looks better.... etc etc

It is difficult though because some people really do have a good reason for having one. Here's my idea - I came up with it this second - ban them from motorways!! I bet that would get rid of a big percentage of them, and it wouldn't be a problem to those who genuinely need one.

Except foreign lorries wouldnt pay road tax as they would have big enough tanks on their lorries so they wouldnt have to fill up with petrol in this country. Also they would bring some spare petrol over with them from abroad where petrol is cheaper.