Excise duty changes will penalise automatic drivers

30/06/2008

I would like to bring to the attention of your readers some of the  implications of the changes in Vehicle Excise Duty proposed for next year relating to cars from 2001 onwards with automatic transmissions.

 

I have a  2005 Ford Focus 1600 cc automatic and pay £170 this year but next year it rises to £260 with further increases in 2010 because of the higher carbon emissions that automatics are said to emit.  For a manual transmission the duty is only £150.

 

Many older people,because of injury or illness have to drive an automatic car and this seems a very unfair proposal because when we bought our cars there was no information available of the proposed altered bands for VED.

 

It would be far fairer for the altered rates of duty to apply to new cars only and then a choice could be made using the full information available.  I have written to my member of parliament regarding this matter and I urge others to do the same.

 

 

GT Martin

Southampton

 

YOU RESPOND

 

A lesson I learnt 11 years ago when i had a brain haemorrhage that
resulted in a stroke, is you can't be disabled and get any help with mobility.

On getting my licence back and having little use on my left side, one of the
conditions was that I could only drive an automatic now it looks like I will
pay for being incapacitated or is it a means to get elderly drivers off the
road?   

 

R Dunford