Reinstate The 25Year Rolling Road Tax Exemption

[beero]

Any one want to sign this petition?

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/119497

[IaininTenbury]

Doubt there'll be much chance of that happening. We should be thankful that rolling tax exemption appears to be back for the over 40s (or whatever date they're using these days). Not sure if its confirmed as regular or not but at least things are moving now rather than a fixed cut off date. (And I speak as the owner of several '70s and 80's cars.... )
The problem with 25 year tax exemption is that there will be too many cars suddenly tax free, and a 25 year old car now is very different to a 25 year old car 10years ago, if that makes sense, I mean cars of the early 90s are still very usable as daily drivers and may not be cherished occaisional use classics. (I use a 26year old Renault 5 as my daily hack and whilst it would be great if it was tax exempt I appreciate that it wouldn't really be in the spirit of the idea).

[TFM150K]

If we push it too far, could we lose what we've already got?

[SteveClem]

Seems they've decided to stick at 40 years.

[les]

If we push it too far, could we lose what we've already got?

Too true. Don't rock the boat!

[olderisbetter]

Tories not sticking to what they promised? I think car tax is the least problem, all governments say anything to get in power and once they get in, sadly it is nothing new.

[SteveClem]

Well,at least they're rolling it on. Big improvement from the Gordon Brown days!

[liammonty]

Well,at least they're rolling it on. Big improvement from the Gordon Brown days!

Fair comment! If we have to get political, we should remember it was the Tories who introduced the exemption in the 90s, and then the Tories who reintroduced it as Gordon Brown had cancelled it a year after Labour came to power...

[SteveClem]

What goes around comes around...probably what we've got is a reasonable compromise.

[Blaketon]

I knew in 2010, that the Brownline (31 12 1972) was dead and buried but that it would take a little while for anything to happen. During the Bliar years, I corresponded with the government over the issue and it became pretty obvious that Gordon Brown just disapproved of classic cars.

The original "Reason" for the Brownline was loss to the Treasury but given that fewer "Modern" cars were likely to become "Classic" cars, time soon proved this to be an unfounded concern (They gave away far more in free or low rates of road tax to smaller modern cars.....but this no doubt had greater potential to gain votes....as did the scrappage scheme). When that argument was no longer viable, they then said road tax was based on environmental considerations. However they saw that only in terms of exhaust emissions and took now account of the fact that classic cars have maximized the return on the resources used to create them.

There is no doubt that were it not for the actions of Gordon Brown, rolling tax exemption would still be set at 25 years. Sir Jackie Stewart once said that Politics is very much a case of perception (He was once on Question Time, which was why I watched it and his answer, to a political question, was very good). As such, had the present government just given away free tax to fifteen years worth of classic cars, that might have raised eyebrows in certain quarters. In 2014, the reintroduction of rolling exemption, slipped through almost unnoticed.

As it is, I don't think that many cars will be gaining free road tax much after 2020, so where the line is drawn will be of little consequence. As I said, modern cars do not lend themselves to home maintenance or therefore to home restoration (Or any other kind of restoration for that matter). I think you can see this already; how many 80s cars do you see at classic car events? I remember going to classic car events in the 1980s and there were loads of 1950, 60s and even 70s cars there. I think the closure of the MG Factory, at Abingdon, gave the classic car scene a big boost. As it was, there were to be no more MG Sports cars and so MGBs and Midgets became collectable far sooner than would otherwise have been the case. I remember seeing an MGA for the first time outside a book (c. 1975) and it was a bit of a banger, yet within ten years, it would become worth good money. Around the early 1980s, cars seemed to change quite a bit and whereas the older types are still seen, the replacements have just gone. Beyond TR7s and Spitfires, just think of Mk2 and Mk 3 Ford Escorts, Cortinas and Sierras (Though a good few Type 9 gearboxes live on) Triumph Dolomites and Triumph Acclaims or even Morris Marinas (Itals) and Austin Montegos. My feeling is don’t rock the boat. If the present government survive until 2020, that will bring most in from the cold. Beyond that, who knows (Another Brownline would have less of an effect than it did in 1997)?

Tied in with this issue is the MOT exemption issue. One option is to tie it in with road tax. I made the following comments to the Department of Transport.

I see that the government is seeking to consult with owners of classic
cars, over the issue of MOTs.


Whilst I feel I could keep my cars roadworthy, without an MOT test, I have
access to a small four-poster ramp and much other equipment, which enables
me to inspect my cars and maintain them.


Whilst the majority of classic vehicles owners may well be diligent owners,
not all are and it would only take one accident, involving a classic car
(Whether roadworthy or not), especially one that involved injury to a child
and there would be uproar. It could even have implications on insurance
premiums.


Most people (Non enthusiasts, who buy a means of transport or a status
symbol) begrudge maintaining their cars and their only experience of old
cars is of old bangers. Lots of these people tend to judge things by their
own experiences and they assume a forty year old car must be about to fall
to bits. Taking away all scrutiny will only reinforce that unfounded
assumption.


I appreciate that an annual test, for a vehicle doing only a few hundred
miles, is perhaps unnecessary and perhaps the test should be done every
thousand miles (At least by distance not by time). I also realise that the
tests carried out on modern vehicles may not be appropriate on older
vehicles and to that end, specialists in older vehicles should be the ones
who test them. Perhaps this needs coordinating with the FBHVC and other
interested parties.