The UK has been told it could raise an eye-watering and frankly staggering £2bn by taxing SUVs in line with European Union countries.
Drivers in England could face new car tax rules ‘in line with Europe’
Drivers in England could face new car tax rules “in line with Europe” with fresh charges for bigger vehicles. The UK has been told it could raise an eye-watering and frankly staggering £2bn by taxing SUVs in line with European Union countries.
A thinktank says t axing Britain’s SUVs in line with other European countries could raise almost £2bn a year for the public purse.
The Transport & Environment thinktank has urged the Labour Party government to use the autumn budget to bring in a levy on the largest vehicles. It said said this would reflect the damage they caused to the environment and infrastructure.
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Tim Dexter, T&E UK’s vehicles policy manager, said the measure was a simple way to help tackle the £50bn fiscal deficit in the November budget.
Dexter said: “A straightforward weight-based levy would make larger vehicles contribute fairly for the damage they cause to roads, safety and the environment, while protecting most family cars from added costs.”
Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, said: “Cars have, on average, increased in size over the years to reflect changing [consumer] preferences but also the need to accommodate vastly increased safety technology – as well as, most recently, new technologies such as large battery packs to deliver the range drivers expect.
“Charging more for heavier cars would unfairly penalise drivers and families who require a bigger vehicle for essential mobility and act as another barrier to EV uptake when the market is already under immense pressure.”
YouGov research from earlier this year showed that 61 per cent of UK car owners consider SUVs to consume excessive space, while only 19 per cent disagree with this assessment.
Environmental concerns surrounding SUVs remain pressing, with 77 per cent of newly purchased models in the UK still powered by petrol, diesel, hybrid or plug-in hybrid systems.