Why shouldn't cyclists pay road tax?

[nellietheelephant]

So, we've established that there is no such thing as 'road tax', but there is such a thing as VED ('car tax').

I'm surprised that none of the posters here pay council tax. If they did, they would have noticed on their bill that council tax pays for highways upkeep and upgrades. Motorways and some trunk roads are funded by 'general taxation', part of which consists of VED.

The public highways are for all of us to use no matter what our mode of transport, or tax contribution.

 

[nellietheelephant]

Here's how my local council tax funds are allocated;

How the budget is spent by service
Service provided	Budget
Caring for adults	£142.7m
Helping children and young people	£77.8m
Collecting rubbish and recycling, looking after our environment	£37.8m
Supporting residents with benefits, grant funding, running the council	£35.9m
Fixing and maintaining roads, parking and travel services	£30.4m
Planning, housing and economic development	£11.8m
Culture, leisure, libraries and customer services	£7.8m
Community and public protection	£3.4m
Total budget	£347.6m

 

[Drago]

Almost every cyclist i know also owns a car. I'm the exception in my circle of friends and family. But since the roads are paid for through general taxation, my earnings and pretty much everything i spend money on contributes, in part, to the roads.

We have two cars.

Both are in the £00.00 band.

My low-emissions diseasel goes up to £20 in 2025. Mrs D's electric car would be due go up to £165 in 2025, but it's registered in the disabled tax class so will stay at £00.00. So come 2025 we'll hardly be helping the government fund and new motorways

 

[nellietheelephant]

Almost every cyclist i know also owns a car. I'm the exception in my circle of friends and family. But since the roads are paid for through general taxation, my earnings and pretty much everything i spend money on contributes, in part, to the roads.

Only motorways and some trunk roads are paid for out of general taxation. All the other roads are paid for from your council tax.
People! Read your council tax bill and know where your money is going!
Either way, we don't need to justify our 'entitlement' to use the roads, they are for all of us to use.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I think my ved was £20 this year. That should buy enough asphalt to fill a pothole. Or maybe paint several white lines.

 

[Alex321]

So - are you suggesting maybe tax cyclists but tax cows at a lower rate??

I am still working out how to tax lightning

(post may contain sarcasm and downright stupidity)

I'm not suggesting anything about taxation, merely pointing out the errors in Drago's assertion.

 

[Alex321]

I think my ved was £20 this year. That should buy enough asphalt to fill a pothole. Or maybe paint several white lines.

We have three vehicles (two cars and a camper van).

Total VED between the three £180 (of which £130 was the camper van - by far the least used of the three).

 

[Dogtrousers]

We have three vehicles (two cars and a camper van).

Total VED between the three £180 (of which £130 was the camper van - by far the least used of the three).

When you think about it, it's an absolute bargain. I'm beginning to think that motorists should pay road tax.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

When you think about it, it's an absolute bargain. I'm beginning to think that motorists should pay road tax.

No they should pay for every mile they use the roads, VED should be abolished & they should increase or add another tax to fuel, if you have an electric car at the end of 3 years after it's first MOT & subsequent MOT you will receive an invoice for the mileage covered in the previous period, failure to pay will see the vehicle removed.

 

[mustang1]

There is a danger comparing electric cars to bikes in that electric car drivers don't pay road tax just like cyclists don't. At some point in the future, electric car drivers will pay which could imply that cyclists should too. So we've gotta be careful what examples we give.

But to be clear, cyclists don't pay because they are too cool for road tax.

 

[Gwylan]

There should be such a levy charged on each pair of shoes, seeing as pedestrians kill more cyclists than the other way round.

There should also be a similar levy on cows, seeing as they kill more people than cyclists do.

Perhaps such a fee on every round of golf, seeing as lightning kills more people than cyclists do.

How about a levy on sofas, seeing as in activity kills more people than exercising on a bicycle does.

If we're enforcing a levy in lieu of insurance then it makes sense to do so in order of risk, which puts cyclists well towards the rear in the queue.

Like the idea of a tax on golf balls. Keep being lost, can't be good for the environment. Teach people to be better golfers or look harder.

 

[simongt]

There should also be a similar levy on cows, seeing as they kill more people than cyclists do.

But on the continent of Africa, hippos kill more humans than any other animal - !

 

[Gwylan]

But on the continent of Africa, hippos kill more humans than any other animal - !

Tax the Hippos!

Especially that stupid kids game
I can see the posters

 

[Drago]

It seems simple to me.

Tax people who do bad things, and the more they do it the more they should be taxed.

Do not tax people who do good things.

 

[Gwylan]

It seems simple to me.

Tax people who do bad things, and the more they do it the more they should be taxed.

Do not tax people who do good things.

Who decides.
Left to me the tax on cats and footballs would be 1000% per week

Bikes and spares would be totally deductable.