has britain gone totally barking?

[greggo123]

A london borough council to charge more for a parking permit if you drive a gas guzzler? Charge more because they have high emissions? Do they not know parked cars don't emit anything!! Or is it just me being a nerd?

[Oneeyedvic]

Its there (rather obviously) to make people think about the costs of running a 'gas guzzler' and to think about how their vehicle can affect the environment.

Speaking as someone who drives vehicle in the second highest car tax band - I can't say that I disagree with the policy.

[pagey]

Yeah, its a bit weird. Surely just put up the tax on high co2 cars. It is not related to parking.

Its like an airline charging more for a passenger that smokes - even though you aren't allowed to smoke on the plane anyway.

[brachiopod]

Yes, they're absolutely insane. I mean, who actually drives the things, eh?

I spent �30,000 on one last year and since the day I bought it, it's been parked outside my house and never moved - I just wish they could be as sensible as me.

[admarlow]

Another Rob from the rich give to the poor socalist policy in Londongrad.

[saxy_jag]

Take a drive past our local prep school and count the number of 4/4s, Mercs, Jags and Rovers parked outside of a morning. Multiply that figure by two and you'll get the number of actual parking spaces they take up because they're so huge their drivers can't park them properly.

When they're asked why they have to have the cars it's, "Well, I have three kids, so I need a big car."

Excuse me? Is there a problem with having three kids in the back of a smaller car? Or does that mean they would actually have to make contact with one another.

And the simple thing is, gas guzzlers are bigger, and they take up more space. We should make people pay for parking by the metre.

[admarlow]

This is (or maybe that should be wasn't) a Socalist state, whats all this about punishing people for buying a nice car, jealousy. The people with these big cars are sucessfull people., and it seams that this is a big chip on the sholder of this countries loony lefty push bike riding plebs.

[tell-me-more]

Surely the most sensible way to charge according to the effect on the environment is to charge extra on fuel and abandon road tax. The rich get a better deal on motoring than the poor.

True, parked cars don't emit anything (although the initial production of them does harm the environment of course), but by the same token, guns in holsters don't kill people.

[jake-the-peg]

It's not about envy it's about reducing pollution and CO2 emissions especially in urban areas.

Actually they're stealing the Tories clothes again.

Wasn't Cameron banging on about environmental taxes and pushing the tax burden onto the polluter?

This is exactly the sort of thing he's talking about - I think you can expect to see this and many similar initiatives when the Conservatives finally produce a manifesto.

Of course another alternative would be to simply ban the sale of cars that are unable to achieve say 25 miles per gallon

[admarlow]

yea good one JTP that will bring us a lot further towards being a 3rd World Country, Ladas for everyone.

[saxy_jag]

Nice (and, dare I say, expensive) cars don't have to be great big gas guzzlers.

[WaldoMcFroog]

What a shame that it's a Lib Dem council, not a Labour one admarlow... Still, never let facts get in the way of a good (or bad) rant.

[admarlow]

I never said anything about Labour

[jake-the-peg]

25 miles per gallon's a pretty low bar admarlow, hardly a Lada!

A BMW 325 does better than that!

What's wrong with the principal of the polluter paying?

[admarlow]

I just think that you already pay the price for a large engine when you buy the petrol. This is much fairer since the amount you pay is directly proportional to how much you pollute. The fact is that year on year car emmissions is declining anyway, why not target a type of pollution that is increasing? BTW I wish my car did 25 MPG

[WaldoMcFroog]

So the Lib Dems are Socialist now..?

Do you know the bit in The Princess Bride where Inigo says to Vizinni, "I'm not sure that word means what you think it means"..?

[Miss Zippy]

Just another form of taxation to line the coffers of the public sector who will then go and squander it. A typical modern small family saloon emits less than one-tenth of the pollution caused by its ten year old equivalent. Why not tax older cars more heavily (as well as modern day 'gas guzzlers')? Taxation does not get people out of their cars; a decent public transport system just might (it would entice me). Until then, I will continue to pollute the M27/M3 areas in my gas guzzler (which actually achieves 35 mpg).

[Gef]

The amount of carbon dioxide a car produces is directly proportional to the amount of fuel it uses. So, if you have a gas-guzzler with high emissions you are penalised twice.

Now, I could really get going here but I won't.