Road Tax and Classic Cars

[Smivs]

I know there are a few petrol-heads around the board!
Up until a few years ago in the UK, any car over 25 years old was exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty (or Road Tax as it's more commonly known). This scheme, which was of enormous benefit to the Classic Car enthusiast, was scrapped by the previous government.
There is now an e-petition to reinstate the Tax Exemption for cars over 25 years old.
These cars are kept by enthusiasts and keep our motoring heritage alive. OK, being older they are not as fuel-efficient etc as more modern cars, but they are used so little, and there are so few of them (relatively) that their environmental impact is negligible. The loss of revenue to the government would also be minute.
Almost everybody likes seeing a 'nice old car' go past, and the Classic Car movement one way or another employs thousands of people and brings pleasure to many, many more, and should be supported.
And doesn't a car that's survived 25 years and is still roadworthy deserve a little appreciation?
If you think so, the e-petition is here.

[snork]

Luxury is luxury and I do not see why luxury would need to be sponsored by the public hand.

But I mainly wanted to post this link : mirror : special cars on public streets

[Smivs]

By today's standards, most cars of 30+ years ago were certinly not luxurious

[Selezen]

I'm with you on this. If someone has taken the time and care to preserve a 25-year old car in working condition then they've certainly paid their dues. I'll sign your gosh-darned petition!

[Smivs]

Good man...thank you.

[Bugbear]

Not living in the UK, my signature won't mean much. I will add this to support your argument...

A poorly maintained 25 year old car will have lower CO2 emissions over the remainder of it's serviceable life than a Toyota Prius that has yet to be built...

It's all about Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - in this instance, it's Reusing what we already have rather than sinking resources into building the latest new shiny.

[Cmdr. Maegil]

It's all about Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - in this instance, it's Reusing what we already have rather than sinking resources into building the latest new shiny.

That's very idealistic and all, but Mr. Zeitgeist sent word to tell you to stop being absurd...

[DaddyHoggy]

It's all about Reduce, Reuse, Recycle - in this instance, it's Reusing what we already have rather than sinking resources into building the latest new shiny.

That's very idealistic and all, but Mr. Zeitgeist sent word to tell you to stop being absurd...

I read a study last year (but now can't find it) - that the most C02 efficient vehicle (over its entire life) was an average-mileage, well maintained 15yr old Jeep Cherokee. Millions were made - they have very few electronics (that require expensive (and CO2 producing) fabrication plants in Taiwan to knock out replacements), scrapyards are full of them so you can use recycled parts where possible and where a new part is actually needed, there are so many 3rd party copy manufacturers world wide that parts are usually made and shipped relatively close to where the part is needed...

[drew]

Signed, as I agree with the principle. Oddly though, most classic car enthusiasts I know continue to pay their road tax even when they don't have to, and have it proudly displayed on their cars (often alongside a plaque with all previous years showing) as part of the legitimacy/memorabilia of their car...

Cheers,

Dre.w

[viberunner]

I enjoy and love the vintage cars and history of our country, but come on - tax breaks for expensive hobbies? It's an insane waste of rare national resources. My hobby is computer games but, nice though it would be, I don't expect the state to give me free electricity - and I'm a darned sight less well off than any vintage car enthusiast.

I might support some tax breaks on restoration and storage work for rare and important cars, but not blanket handouts for those over 25 years of age.

[Fatleaf]

I enjoy and love the vintage cars and history of our country, but come on - tax breaks for expensive hobbies? It's an insane waste of rare national resources. My hobby is computer games but, nice though it would be, I don't expect the state to give me free electricity - and I'm a darned sight less well off than any .

I might support some tax breaks on restoration and storage work for rare and important cars, but not blanket handouts for those over 25 years of age.

When you look at the amount of money involved it is more of a gesture from the government to the preservation of history. If you think of the amount of effort it takes to keep a 25yr old car in a safe condition to transport people in relative comfort, it really is a difficult thing. A lot of vintage car enthusiasts aren't loaded either. They just love the piece of engineering in their garage. How else are we going to keep these cars from disappearing. For a car to become a classic it has to survive in a serviceable condition in the first place.

It has already been touched on but it really is better for the environment to keep one of these older cars going than to produce a new car. If you look at the Toyota Prius for instance. If you take into account the total manufacturing of the car from mining the ore to the painting of the bodywork right through the ownership and road use to the scrapping of all its components, it does more environmental damage than a Range Rover!

Also it is better for a countries resources as it provides jobs and income for thousands of people. Just think of the classic car rallies. It is a whole day out for families in a safe and clean environment for all the family. So it is not a big thing to ask the government to give a gesture of support, I mean they are quick to tax when it comes to punishing something that is deemed bad for the economy or environment. So how about an incentive to help?