So the Chancellor is going to crack down hard on the 'gas-guzzling' vehicles, and on 4x4s in particular, that push out the most CO2 and occupy most space on our roads (and pavements). A new top Vehicle Excise Duty rate of £210 – up just £40 from the previous top rate – is sure to discourage people from unnecessarily buying such things. Isn't it? Friends of the Earth had called for a top rate of at least £600, which would seem to be much closer to the mark, discouraging posers without being too expensive, in the overall scheme of things, for people like farmers and boatbuilders who need big vehicles for their businesses. And the tax only applies to new vehicles, not existing ones, which is silly.
It's unlike Gordon to miss an opportunity to raise a tax, when public opinion is probably on his side for a change. Perhaps Mr '2-Jags' Prescott had a word with him...
[And yes, I know it's been a couple of weeks since the last post. I was away a for few days, and inevitably busy when I came back, and there's so much going on with the politicos that it's hard to know where to begin]
