I’m kinda hopeful that the recent changes to the VRT system are going to be challenged. We’re still being taxed on the theoretical Open Market Selling Price (OMSP). The idea that a 36% levy should be placed on performance cars is absolute nonsense. The buyer has already paid VAT. Is it so wrong to want a fast car? The greens seem to think so in their unearthly way. It would be much better to ride a bike of course or some other entirely daft suggestion. I find this environmental moralism very irritating. High taxes on cars lead to increased personal debt which affects national competitiveness and makes us more susceptible to interest rate increases.
But we’ve lowered the VRT rate on some cars they say.. I don’t want a 2 litre or less diesel unfortunately. You see, I actually LIKE CARS and I want a car that overtakes quickly and safely. It helps if it doesn’t smell like shit and chuck out dirty smoke I even like automatic gearboxes which increase c02 output based on the imperfect metric calculations and an assumption about the clutching habits of manual drivers which is not borne out by 15 minutes experience driving on Irish roads.
It’s funny that the government ministers who ride around in S-Class Mercs don’t want me to driving anything wilder than a 320d.
I find it reprehensible that an already excessive VRT system has been increased for “environmental reasons” to penalise those bad people who actually like cars. Ya know, those weirdos who don’t get up every morning and hug a tree. Freaks, obviously….If the VRT system actually made a positive contribution to consumer spending then the country wouldn’t be full of people driving X5’s for the price of Ferrari’s in the UK. I’m willing to bet if the government changed the system there’d be a blip but the majority of well-heeled individuals would pocket and reinvest the change rather than swap their beemer for a ferrari.
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