Budget (UK) 22 March 2006

[Johndcfc]

I know I was thinking it was boring but couldn't Prescott look a little more interested?? Atleast Blair keeps nodding and fluttering his eyelids. Prescott is just sitting there picking his nose and nails:

He's actually asleep now - tony needs to give him a punch

[sotal]

So the new tax could be better for a lot of people with 0 rate tax for tiny little cars which hardly pollute, but worse for new gas-guzzlers at £210 - but they won't care - It's not aimed at 4x4's like previously thought though

[Fidgits]

politics 101...

how to put up fuel tax without 'putting up fuel tax'

Mr Brown postponed the usual annual inflation increase in fuel duty until 1 September

so thats a 2% increase on duty - which then has the 17.5% VAT added on top... in september...

[ahmurray]

Interesting link - I was just about to post it myself. Nice to see an objective assessment.

I drive a RAV4 because I like it and it is a practical family car, no heavier, longer or wider than a mondeo - or avensis probably!

Bear in mind when you are looking at mums on the school run in big cars that many familes now have the big family car associated to the wife not the husband, a cultural shift. We brought the Rav4 so that I could ditch my BM 5 series in favour of a Z4 or MX5. My wife's car is the car we use for weekends and family holidays - we may trade up to a larger one in a few years because 7 seats will be useful for our kids friends and helping those of our friends who don't drive!

My wife does less than 5000 miles per year, so please consider the fact that no matter how big her car is she will still be hurting the environment much less than someone who does 20000 miles plus.

I don't understand why the same arguments aren't levelled at MPVs which are as big and heavy - whether an SUV is 4*4 or not (many of them aren't these days) isn't really relevant IMO. I just prefer the styling of SUVs over MPVs in the same way that I prefer the older BMs to the newer ones.

surely people have bigger issues to be concerned about?

[Fidgits]

well, from what i can tell, the 210 tax is aimed at the 1% most polluting cars, rather than any specific models..

[sotal]

well, from what i can tell, the 210 tax is aimed at the 1% most polluting cars, rather than any specific models..

and the 0% tax will be aimed at 1% at the other end

He managed to skim over what "normal cars" tax would be I think I heard a mention of £190

[Fidgits]

1p on a pint of beer...

cigarettes rising 9p a pack - that god i stopped a couple of years ago!

The exemption on stamp duty would be raised £125,000 - which is great if you live north of the M62, you can get a nice 4 bed cottage without paying any tax...

where i live you'd be lucky to get a 1 bed flat for that, and as for the south east - you wouldnt even come close!

[Caz SR]

1p on a pint of beer...

cigarettes rising 9p a pack - that god i stopped a couple of years ago!

Yep - thankfully I stopped before Christmas too

Is a 20 deck a fiver now then?

[Fidgits]

i think last time i noticed it was passed a fiver anyway..

in all honesty, it didnt bother me too much anyway - i just stocked up on my european trips... Italian motorway services, a 200 box for less than 30 Euro..

[daktari]

What you wont hear in Gordy`s budget speel.

"I have ran out of money to tax and borrow."

"I have shifted my economic goalposts."

"I am going to mug the middle classes for more money because they never complain."

"The welfare state is too big and cumbersome."

"I have blown all your money and the NHS is still a mess."

"The massive increases in public spending is the only thing propping up the economy."

"The private sector is stagnating."

"I have created a massive pensions crisis with no idea how to fix it."

"I can't wait to be Prime Minister before you find out how incompetent I have been."

I`m off to www.getmeoutofthisbleedincountry.com :ffs:

[Fidgits]

"The massive increases in public spending is the only thing propping up the economy."

actually, that was hidden in 'unemployed is down since my last budget'

in other words, i spent more money i didnt have creating more public sector jobs that wernt needed...

[Caz SR]

In anticipation of World Cup success this summer, I am freezing duty on champagne ... and on British sparkling wine.

Well, thanks a bunch - you're too kind :ffs:

[Bibbs]

La la la la la - I can't hear you ..

Still no WMD's or links with terrorism in Iraq .. wonder when we'll see that "evidance" ..

Petrol crisis, trucks blocking roads .. la la la la ..

Europe trying to curb UK's debt spiral .. la la la la ..

Farms destroyed by foot and mouth fiasco .. la la la la ..

</Labour>

[daktari]

In anticipation of World Cup success this summer, I am freezing duty on champagne ... and on British sparkling wine.

Should have read.... In anticipation of World Cup success this summer, I am freezing duty on handcuffs, elastoplast and bandages. :censor:

[Fidgits]

@ bibbs

the most ironic thing is, at least 50% of people who vote for labour 'do so because they are from a working class background - so labours for me' and these people seem to completley miss that labour are bigger toffs and snobs than the Conservatives...

I mean, they always tax ciggies and beer, yet expensive scotch and champagne, no, they dont get an increase...

But hey, then they tax the hard workers and give it to the lazy sods, so stick with the 'labour ethic' i suppose... which seems to have been joined with the 'line your own pockets' ethic thats strong in this goverment!

:censor:

[Fidgits]

I just read the following post on pistonheads from a TVR owner on the new road tax changes..

frankly I don't give a flying ****, £50 extra to drive my TVR? so what. not to mention my mini which frankly throws out more **** than the TVR - and still attracts a discounted rate of road tax (sweet!) i'm practically rolling in the aisles that that's the best they could come up with

is that all you've got greenies? you're going to have to kill me or flatten me before I give up one of life's great pleasures!

now, i'm off to smoke a few marlboro, might have a pint at the same time, and to top it off I may even go and buy a copy of the torygraph. there/ stick that in your hemp pipe all you carpet coat wearing plastic sandalled f**kwits

[Bibbs]

I just read the following post on pistonheads from a TVR owner on the new road tax changes..

frankly I don't give a flying ****, £50 extra to drive my TVR? so what. not to mention my mini which frankly throws out more **** than the TVR - and still attracts a discounted rate of road tax (sweet!) i'm practically rolling in the aisles that that's the best they could come up with

is that all you've got greenies? you're going to have to kill me or flatten me before I give up one of life's great pleasures!

now, i'm off to smoke a few marlboro, might have a pint at the same time, and to top it off I may even go and buy a copy of the torygraph. there/ stick that in your hemp pipe all you carpet coat wearing plastic sandalled f**kwits

Does that mean that cars will be taxed on your MOT emissions?

Cause I've a nice sensible car (at MOT standard revs with the CAT back in) .. and then the way I drive, and the things I've done, it's probably worse than my MR2 is.

[Gnome]

Good lad, although it sounds like he's got money to burn. Lol...

[Fidgits]

I just read the following post on pistonheads from a TVR owner on the new road tax changes..

frankly I don't give a flying ****, £50 extra to drive my TVR? so what. not to mention my mini which frankly throws out more **** than the TVR - and still attracts a discounted rate of road tax (sweet!) i'm practically rolling in the aisles that that's the best they could come up with

is that all you've got greenies? you're going to have to kill me or flatten me before I give up one of life's great pleasures!

now, i'm off to smoke a few marlboro, might have a pint at the same time, and to top it off I may even go and buy a copy of the torygraph. there/ stick that in your hemp pipe all you carpet coat wearing plastic sandalled f**kwits

Does that mean that cars will be taxed on your MOT emissions?

Cause I've a nice sensible car (at MOT standard revs with the CAT back in) .. and then the way I drive, and the things I've done, it's probably worse than my MR2 is.

ben - that would have meant the goverment would have needed to think something through before putting it in place...

like thats ever going to happen

you know for a fact on Friday some usless office juniors going to get landed with 4 hours to figure out how they decide which cars get the higher tax and which are exempt....

[Karma Supra]

There has also been speculation that the chancellor may use this Budget to promote green policies aimed at tackling climate change.

Its coments like this that worry me in the wrong hands.... there is increasing evidence that the planets climate changed on a cyclical scale anyway, that is over time it heats up and cools down... that we are still on the "up" from the last ice age... and that we have very little to do with so called "global warming". I personally subscribe to this way of thinking.

A rainforest produces an obscene amount of CO2 at night... no body taxes them (granted they reduce it in the daylight ;))

Pople worry about them ablilishing calsic car rates, you forget, they already HAVE to all intents and purposes... the classic tax exemption used to roll over ona 25 year basis, i.e. any car that was 25 years old was tax exempt, Labour soon stopped that. (in 7 years my black supra would ahve been tax exempt, apart from the huge amount I pay on fuel, of course.....)

As said earlier, taxing larger engines is a mad idea, they already are taxed more!!!!!!

I am sure Lexus RX400h owners and pretty peeved that they are threatened with a higher tax braket, for emissions reasons.

This is why I love my 80s cars... they were built in a time before all this enviroinmental, politically correct crap was ever though of... Bull bars? pop up lights? sod it, if people are going to walk in roads they are going to get hurt anyway!!!!

Is unemployment down??? I know a fair few educated people after work... there just does not seem to be any "decent" work about....

[Bibbs]

ben - that would have meant the goverment would have needed to think something through before putting it in place...

like thats ever going to happen

you know for a fact on Friday some usless office juniors going to get landed with 4 hours to figure out how they decide which cars get the higher tax and which are exempt....

Exactly .. so a Rav4 fully loaded with passengers will get taxed a LOAD more than me, alone, doing silly things to my car.

That's great :)

Good old government .. never thinking things through. The technology is there. Pay a flat amount at MOT/Tax time for your cars current stats (would get older cars off the road as they'd cost more to tax - something like weight*emissions) and then you pay for your economy/miles on petrol .. so damn easy.

Is unemployment down??? I know a fair few educated people after work... there just does not seem to be any "decent" work about....

There *is* Charlie .. I get about 2 interview offers a week.

[alanbradley]

I'm interested in what they're not saying rather than what they're saying outright...

What's the lowest band if car tax going to be? Will diesels be included? When/to what will it be applicable? What will it be for "normal" cars?

Still, overall its not as bad as it might have been although as a single, able-bodied, white, heterosexual, car driving, working, male home-owner and tax-payer* I will doubtless still end up out of pocket <_<

A

*were I , however, a ccoured, !Removed!, out-of-work, trades unionist, disabled, single mother I'd be rolling in it :D (Apologies to "Yes, Minister" for that...)

[Karma Supra]

You forgot Aids Alan ]

Ben whoopyfackingdooofroyou..

Its not helping my situation....

I am not the only one finding a severe shortage of decent jobs!!!

[Bibbs]

Ben you lie... once you are already out of work peopel don;t seem interested.....

Dude .. The problem is I'm *still in work* with these.

Get offered web development, java/C++ programmers, engineer roles on a twice weekly basis at least .. I get loads of them .. if anything it's a pain as it fills my email up with dross.

Also, it doesn't need to be the perfect job. Not all of us are doing exactly what we want, but it's better to be doing something rather than nothing.

Either way, I'm sure dole scum will be getting more money from my taxes soon

[Karma Supra]

ubik it.. I think I'll go for housing benefit too.....

It was the inland revenue that put my last company under making me redundant in the first place...