The War On The Motorist Continues

Pond

Zorg Guru (III)
British Zeds
Joined
Dec 26, 2016
Points
144
Location
Spaldingski, Lincs
Model of Z
3 litre Z3 pretending to be Italian exotica. Two previous E89 Z4s.
This is only the first year RFL and only relates to the highest CO2 producing cars.
The biggest rip off is the 'luxury RFL' for any car over £40k RRP (including options and accessories).
We bought a new Ford Focus last year which cost us £29,900, but because the official list price was £41k we pay £620 a year in RFL. Since when was a Ford Focus a luxury car??
 

mwpe

Zorg Guru (V)
Supporter
Joined
Dec 8, 2011
Points
178
Location
Camberley
Model of Z
3.0
Since 2001, there has been no logic at all to road tax rates. Gordon Brown screwed it up first and every chancellor since seems to have had his own go at making it worse. most Z3s come under the old flat rate scheme which is still bad enough but from then on the bigger engines have been ripped off. I was lucky, mine seems to have been registered days before the change. I never want anything newer.
 
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Pond

Zorg Guru (III)
British Zeds
Joined
Dec 26, 2016
Points
144
Location
Spaldingski, Lincs
Model of Z
3 litre Z3 pretending to be Italian exotica. Two previous E89 Z4s.
Since 2001, there has been no logic at all to road tax rates. Goordon Brown screwed it up first and every chancellor since seems to have had his own go at making it worse. most Z3s come under the old flat rate scheme which is still bad enough but from then on the bigger engines have been ripped off. I was lucky, mine seems to have been registered days before the change. I never want anything newer.
Yep, the rates are all over the place and very unfair.
I have been looking at 5 litre Ford Mustangs recently:
I saw a nice one which was registered March 2017 (17 plate). RFL is £760 p/a
I saw another nice one registered April 2017 (17 plate). RFL is £195 p/a

That's a big difference every year for exactly the same car just registered in a different month. The earlier one was the better car, but I won't be buying it to give the Gov £565.00 extra a year for nothing.

My Z3 is £430 a year. My daughter's Polo is £20. Both are petrol.
 

Toby

Zorg Guru (III)
British Zeds
Joined
Jul 5, 2015
Points
148
Location
N.E Lincs
Yep, the rates are all over the place and very unfair.
I have been looking at 5 litre Ford Mustangs recently:
I saw a nice one which was registered March 2017 (17 plate). RFL is £760 p/a
I saw another nice one registered April 2017 (17 plate). RFL is £195 p/a

That's a big difference every year for exactly the same car just registered in a different month. The earlier one was the better car, but I won't be buying it to give the Gov £565.00 extra a year for nothing.

My Z3 is £430 a year. My daughter's Polo is £20. Both are petrol.

Strange as it was in March 2017 when the rates changed. Know this for fact as bought my current mota in 2017 - had it registered in Feb on a 66 as prefered that on plate to 17 , plus the VED ws cheaper on the 66 initially. Unfortunately now its £315 instead of £195. however got a few years to go before I'm losing out - and its only a small 1.8L mota :cool:

IMHO when they brought in the VED changes in 2017, they should have started charging EVs a nominal figure to get owners used to paying VED. This could then be increased to off set losses from ICE vehicles, so keeping the revenue coming in.
 

Pond

Zorg Guru (III)
British Zeds
Joined
Dec 26, 2016
Points
144
Location
Spaldingski, Lincs
Model of Z
3 litre Z3 pretending to be Italian exotica. Two previous E89 Z4s.
Strange as it was in March 2017 when the rates changed.
April. The Government do everything in April, as it's the 'official' tax year start/finish. April 6th to be precise. No idea why.
 

Pond

Zorg Guru (III)
British Zeds
Joined
Dec 26, 2016
Points
144
Location
Spaldingski, Lincs
Model of Z
3 litre Z3 pretending to be Italian exotica. Two previous E89 Z4s.
It would be so much fairer (and easier for them) to just tax fuel more and scrap RFL. Then have a blanket RFL for EVs.
It's so simple, but Governments don't do simple. They do as complicated as possible, presumably to keep millions of public sector workers in jobs.
 

Toby

Zorg Guru (III)
British Zeds
Joined
Jul 5, 2015
Points
148
Location
N.E Lincs
April. The Government do everything in April, as it's the 'official' tax year start/finish. April 6th to be precise. No idea why.
No, new reg. plates are now issued in March and September.
 

Pond

Zorg Guru (III)
British Zeds
Joined
Dec 26, 2016
Points
144
Location
Spaldingski, Lincs
Model of Z
3 litre Z3 pretending to be Italian exotica. Two previous E89 Z4s.
No, new reg. plates are now issued in March and September.
Yes, I know. And...?
OK, I will re-phrase.....Governments do everything 'financial' in April.

In 2017 they brought In the new 'one size fits all' RFL for any vehicle registered after 1st April. They did the 1st, as the 5th (financial year end) would be silly, even for the Government. A 2017 car registered between March 1st and 31st was taxed under the previous emissions-based scheme. And still is.
 
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Paul Rice

Zorg Guru (V)
Supporter
British Zeds
The M44 Massive
Joined
Sep 7, 2013
Points
198
Location
Doncaster
Model of Z
Z4 2.5 E89 23
Always examples of un fair tax a 2005 Aston Martin DB9 V12 has the same road tax as a 2.5 Z4 but if its a 2006 a DB9 is more than double, makes you wonder who all these intelegent people are who advises the government
 

Pond

Zorg Guru (III)
British Zeds
Joined
Dec 26, 2016
Points
144
Location
Spaldingski, Lincs
Model of Z
3 litre Z3 pretending to be Italian exotica. Two previous E89 Z4s.
Always examples of un fair tax a 2005 Aston Martin DB9 V12 has the same road tax as a 2.5 Z4 but if its a 2006 a DB9 is more than double, makes you wonder who all these intelegent people are who advises the government
A post April 2017 DB9 with same V12 engine is £195.00. But at first registration, the first year RFL would have been expensive.

We had a March 2017 registered Mazda3 with a 2 litre petrol engine. The RFL was £20 a year. A post April 2017 same car would be £195. So there were winners aswell as losers.
I had a 2008 BMW Alpina B3 with the N54 twin turbo 3 litre. Because there were so few imported they didn't go through the emissions checks back then, so the Government taxed them as a generic car pre-2001. The RFL was £200, when a normal BMW with the same engine was around £600.
 
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