Cycle to work: Budget clampdown

[Dadam]

which basically just penalises people who don't work

In what weird universe does it "penalise" anybody? What a strange comment.

People who don't work don't receive a salary therefore can't do a salary sacrifice. I'm a high rate taxpayer who is married, but my wife doesn't work. Am I being "penalised" because I can't claim the married person's tax allowance?

 

[PaulSB]

Not before time. I know many people who have spent thousands on bikes under this scheme. Not one of them commutes.

The biggest p*** take I've personally seen is someone who works from home, bought a £7k bike on C2W and uses it to pop out and do hill repeats while on lunch break!!!!

🤬🤬🤬

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

Whole salary sacrifice benefits needs looking at, not just C2W.

 

[Dadam]

Not before time. I know many people who have spent thousands on bikes under this scheme. Not one of them commutes.

The biggest p*** take I've personally seen is someone who works from home, bought a £7k bike on C2W and uses it to pop out and do hill repeats while on lunch break!!!!

🤬🤬🤬

I believe the phrase "so chuffin what?" leaps to mind. The whole scheme only costs £130m.
EDIT: I believed the mod edited part was relevant and not overly political or controversial but I will comply with mods' wishes. My point was that it's a relatively small amount of money with a reasonable benefit to society, and other sources of tax revenue might be more productive and beneficial.

 

[Psamathe]

Just make cycles, cycle parts & cycle maintenance zero rated for VAT. Encourage people to get and to use bikes and recognise the obvious short term cost would be offset by lower emissions, lower pollution, lower NHS demands, etc. (everybody here knows the benefits to society from cycling so I won't re-list them).

And so what if some wealthy person uses that to buy some expensive lycra shirt or some ludicrous carbon frame - they'll still use it, still make lower demands on the NHS, etc.

 

[Moderators]

Thread has started to become political. Closed until time allows it to be cleaned-up.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Mod note:

Thread reopened following some post removal and post edits.

Please stay on topic and avoid non-cycling political comments.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Happy_Days]

The whole scheme only costs £130m.

I imagine that £130m contributes significantly to our beleaguered cycling industry—particularly if it encourages new people into cycling. It’s good for economic growth, innit?

 

[bikingdad90]

The most likely way it’ll work if they reform it is they’ll cap the tax free saving to basic rate only so no saving at 40% or 45%, only 20%, they may go even further and remove the NIC savings too.

 

[BoldonLad]

The could introduce a C2W (Cycle to Wetherspoons) scheme, so that us Pensioners could make use of the scheme 😂

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

The could introduce a C2W (Cycle to Wetherspoons) scheme, so that us Pensioners could make use of the scheme 😂

Good Idea

After all it would be a huge boost for the cycle stealing part of the community by putting a load of bikes outside every 'Spoons
which is really handy as all the bike thieves will be there anyway!


Allegedly

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

Whole salary sacrifice benefits needs looking at, not just C2W.

I agree

I know people who use it for everything they can
which sounds great

BUT they don't realise that this reduces their take home pay - which is obvious
AND the amount they pay into their pension - which is in some cases rather hidden unless you look

which will come back to bite them when they get older

and, of course, that often saves their employer some money!

 

[Drago]

The government perhaps need to decide what their priorities are. If it really is NET zero then why place barriers in the way of bicycle ownership? Sadly, what they say is a priority and what they really think behind closed doors are two different things (no further down that avenue for obvious reasons).

Transport is not only the UKs biggest CO2 emitting sector, but as a proportion of our carbon output is actually growing, and anything that does something, no matter how minor, to address that by promoting active travel must surely be worth it? Start watching the pennies and the pounds srart to take care of themselves, and so it is with carbon emissions.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

The government perhaps need to decide what their priorities are. If it really is NET zero then why place barriers in the way of bicycle ownership? Sadly, what they say is a priority and what they really think behind closed doors are two different things (no further down that avenue for obvious reasons).

Transport is not only the UKs biggest CO2 emitting sector, but as a proportion of our carbon output is actually growing, and anything that does something, no matter how minor, to address that by promoting active travel must surely be worth it? Start watching the pennies and the pounds srart to take care of themselves, and so it is with carbon emissions.

I agree

but the C2W scheme was never going to persuade the average person driving to work to swap to a bike

so it was always just something to get votes, as middle class people could use it to get a more expensive bike than they would be able to otherwise
but they would have got one anyway - just not got the "essential" carbon frame
or not the full suspension MTB
or whatever

and has been great for the ebike market as it makes them easier to justify to your wife cheaper

but it was never designed to make people swap to bike to get to work
otherwise it would have to include some form of monitoring
which would be intrusive, impractical and expensive

 

[Drago]

but it was never designed to make people swap to bike to get to work

Clearly it was, as you have to sign to say the bike will be primarily used for that purpose. In my case it was used for just that, as it was for the two colleagues on my team who went for it.

That some people (and there is no evidence to say how many, the detractors are relying on pure conjecture and anecdote) take the pith doesnt alter the fact that is what the scheme is for, and they signed to agree to it.