Fuel's too expensive ? It's actually too cheap!

[Cyclone]

The OP is clearly right in that there are way too many people using cars.

The problem comes when you consider business has to pay the higher tax as well. That causes the price rises mentioned earlier in the thread.

The answer is to keep fuel prices high for private use but a lower rate for business and essential services.

I'm bloody sure most people could go to work on a small 100mpg bike and save a fortune and reducing congestion at the same time.

 

You've clearly either not seen or not considered the M1 in a morning then.

I can't see how you can argue that the majority of traffic on it could be replaced with mopeds.

[Cyclone]

"do gooder", I don`t think so I`d just rather pay fuel tax than income tax.

Do you pay income tax ?

If so, why do you object ?

 

Wouldn't it make more sense to remove VED and add that to fuel tax rather than considering income tax.

It would also make sense to stop the tax on fuel being a % of the sale price and make it a fixed amount. Then the chancellor doesn't benefit from fluctuating oil prices and the volatility on the forecourt (of the price, not the fuel) is massively damped.

[Justin Smith]

There's a football match on isn't there?

There are two many cars trying to get into Hillsborough, that doesn't alter the fact that fuel is 50% more expensive than it was a few years ago, and yes the majority of that is tax.

Too expensive is a subjective response to the massive increases in it's price, not an objective assessment of any policy of setting the price.

 

It was Friday night, there was no football match on, it`s like that much of the time and every rush hour. Except it isn`t just a rush hour any more it`s usually two hours, or more.

In fact, apart from the rush hours mid week, Sundays are now the worst days to travel, they didn`t used to be. Has anyone else noticed that ?

 

Fuel cannot be too expensive, it`s the fundamental law of supply and demand. If the roads were empty then maybe fuel would be too expensive. But the roads are far from empty, look around you......

[Justin Smith]

Wouldn't it make more sense to remove VED and add that to fuel tax

 

I used to agree with you on that. I used to think that it was excessive car usage, as opposed to an excessive number of cars, which was the problem.

But parking is now becoming such a problem on many of the streets I visit that I don`t think that anymore. There is just an excessive number of cars, in cities, full stop.

The number, and usage, of cars is becoming a big negative, so tax it, and use the money saved to cut income tax so the overall tax burden is the same.

[truman]

I used to agree with you on that. I used to think that it was excessive car usage, as opposed to an excessive number of cars, which was the problem.

But parking is now becoming such a problem on many of the streets I visit that I don`t think that anymore. There is just an excessive number of cars, in cities, full stop.

The number, and usage, of cars is becoming a big negative, so tax it, and use the money saved to cut income tax so the overall tax burden is the same.

 

Until theres' a useable public transport system then why should the people who live out of town and cause no congestion be penalised..? I drive around 45,000 miles a year and very rarely have trouble getting around...how much of your congestion is caused by town/city planners,y'know using half the road for bus lanes with empty buses on them etc..

[Justin Smith]

Until theres' a useable public transport system then why should the people who live out of town and cause no congestion be penalised..? I drive around 45,000 miles a year and very rarely have trouble getting around...how much of your congestion is caused by town/city planners,y'know using half the road for bus lanes with empty buses on them etc..

 

 

I would agree that fuel taxes are an imprecise way of tackling congestion, but until people will accept road pricing (via GPS, hopefully limiting their speed at the same time.....) it`s all we`ve got.

[truman]

I would agree that fuel taxes are an imprecise way of tackling congestion, but until people will accept road pricing (via GPS, hopefully limiting their speed at the same time.....) it`s all we`ve got.

 

Why would you want a speed limiter in your car? Are you incapable of controlling yours...?

[matsalleh]

When parking permits come into force,there will be more cars driving around Hillsborough trying to find a parking space,and there will be spaces on the side roads,which non permit holders will not be able to use.

Any who lives in the area (OP)surely must know that football matches cause traffic problems,luckily neither team are very successful or there would be more traffic.

[Justin Smith]

Why would you want a speed limiter in your car? Are you incapable of controlling yours...?

 

I`m capable of controlling mine, but judging by the number of people who break the speed limit, many people aren`t capable of controlling their own.....

 

But this is a side issue to this thread, which is about congestion and what should actually be taxed in this world.

[Justin Smith]

When parking permits come into force,there will be more cars driving around Hillsborough trying to find a parking space,and there will be spaces on the side roads,which non permit holders will not be able to use.

Any who lives in the area (OP)surely must know that football matches cause traffic problems,luckily neither team are very successful or there would be more traffic.

 

 

I have to say the actual matches are only a problem for a few hours on about 20 weekends of the year. Even when there are no matches there`s a critical shortage of parking round here.

The problem is, again, too many cars for the available road space. You`ve got families with two, three or even four cars (how the hell do these kids afford cars......) with only room outside their house to park one.

Two, Three or even Four into one won`t go.

I`m in favour of a parking permit system but it won`t solve the basic problem.

The only thing which will do that is to limit the ownership of cars to those who have room to actually park them, or the number of cars which will fit outside their own property. And they won`t do that.

Edited November 29, 2009 by Justin Smith