Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[jessejazza]

Maybe some of you have already done this but if not please do so, and pass onto any other forums, lists that you belong to.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/49984

[Rick]

I think pushing for further tax exemption is at best optimistic, and could easily result in exemptions being withdrawn en masse. As it is now, only a small number of vehicles are eligible. Start including 25 year old cars, ie cars from 1989 onwards, and it makes those qualifying for exemption a much larger blip on the radar of any chancellor looking to add more £ to the coffers in future.

If a rolling exemption was being pushed for, it should be more than 25yrs imho, more like 40+, so that only cars likely to be genuinely in preservation qualify. There are plenty of tatty old smokers being run on a shoestring from the late 80s and early 90s, not preserved, just limping along, so why should they to be eligible for historic status? If they survive 'til the age of, say, 40, then fair enough, very few people would be running a 40yr old car as a daily drive.

The way I see it, exemption for a certain era of vehicle is a privilege rather than a right.

RJ
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[Riley Blue]

This gets raised every few months and each time my answer is the same: best not to remind the government that there are hundreds of thousands of vehicles on which it could charge VED - or worse still, impose the same sort of restrictions on the use of historic vehicles that are in place in other countries.

[jessejazza]

"If a rolling exemption was being pushed for, it should be more than 25yrs imho, more like 40+, so that only cars likely to be genuinely in preservation qualify."

I'd agree with you there; 40+would be a bit much, I was thinking maybe 30 years.

"impose the same sort of restrictions on the use of historic vehicles that are in place in other countries." That is a possibility if we remain run from Brussels.

"best not to remind the government that there are hundreds of thousands of vehicles on which it could charge VED"

That's not strictly true - owners of the micro cars aren't paying tax and the government are promoting their ownership.

[ukdave2002]

The only fair way would be to add an appropriate amount to fuel, in the spirit (excuse the pun ) of what VED was originally designed for, it seems perfectly reasonable IMHO, as long as the government doesn't take the micky !

davew

[Rootes75]

I think the best idea would be to roll it, maybe not every year but every couple. I would opt for the longer term though and say keep it at 40 year exemption and then creep that forward.

[MikeEdwards]

I read somewhere that there has been a recent review of VED, and one of the key findings was that they're losing far more money from giving reduced (and free) VED based on emissions levels from new cars than from the classic owners, by a massive margin. I suspect this is because manufacturers are building cars to get through the test to keep the tax down, which as we all know doesn't necessarily address the initial problem correctly. After all, I was told you can buy a new Audi with a 2.0 petrol engine yet still qualify for free VED.

General FBHVC advice has been that, while the country is in the current financial state, it's unwise to keep pressing for this as it draws attention to what the general public might see as a bunch of well-off people with expensive classics as second or third cars wanting to save a few quid on top of all their other advantages. Ironically most of the vehicles that Joe Public thinks of in this way (E-type Jag, Aston Martin, old Rolls-Royce or Bentley, classic open sports car, TR, MGA, you know the kind of thing) is already exempt anyway.

I'd love to get to a point where my cars are on the exemption, and I harbour a faint hope that the moving of the cut-off date this year will signal the re-introduction of a rolling exemption which would be at 40 years. I'd rather have it at thirty years, of course, but can't see that happening and wouldn't want to trade that for flexibility on what I can do with my car. For me, the whole point of being VED-exempt would be that I might be able to use the car a bit more over winter rather than laying it up as I do now.

[ChrisD]

I'm also with Rick on this one - leave well alone and hope that 40+ will become a rolling exemption.

Its just happened in Holland where tax is huge compared to the UK:

http://www.volvotips.com/index.php/2013/04/24/new-tax-regulations-for-classic-cars-in-the-netherlands-40-years-and-older-cars-will-be-tax-free/

I drive a 43 year old Merc daily throughout the year. The tax thing is a bonus for sure but I just don't like modern stuff and they stopped making the model in '72 anyway!

[ukdave2002]

I can see the government having to do something as VED, as revenues must be falling; we have changed both our moderns recently (well mine is about to be changed now that Mercedes think they have all the bits to build one...only taken 7 months , but that's another story!)

We will go from paying about £750 in VED for the 2 cars to £220, and the new cars are a similar spec to the old ones.

It will now cost more, to tax the 1975 Stag (2000 miles a year) than the 2 moderns combined

The MGA and Z van are FOC so I suppose I can't complain

Dave

[JohnDale]

I'm with Rick & Chris - 40yrs - rolling would be a bonus,cheers,JD.
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1958 Ford Zephyr Mk2 Convertible
1976 Ford Granada Ghia.

[colwyn500]

It will all depend on statisticians. Did you ever see the analysis they did before granting exemption to MOT test for pre 1960s?
They know exactly how many cars of all ages are all around. There must be quite a dip in numbers due to the scrappage scheme.Older cars tend to be more polluting but do fewer miles per year.
That is the point that needs getting across.

[Riley Blue]

[scott_budds]

Badly written example as per most of the e-petitions I've read. Not worth the paper they are written on in my opinion.

Buddsy
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Im looking for an Elan plus 2 for my next resto project...if you see one think of me please!!

[colwyn500]

[Minxy]

Another one for leaving it alone. It worries me that this keeps coming up.