'Secret' tax for family cars - surely not fair?

[Maiakins]

I couldn't believe it when I read in the Times this morning about the new road tax rules to include cars up to seven years old. This means we'll be paying £300 next year for our used 2003 Ford Galaxy and £455 the following year onwards.

See 'Secret tax adds £200 to cost of running family cars' - driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/driving/article3842848.ece?Submitted=true

It makes me mad as if you have 3 or more young children and need 3 infant car seats, these cars are the only models that suit. This is especially true if you have twins/triplets and need to fit in a double buggy. It isn't ethically right to backdate a tax to a decision we now have no influence over. Fair enough to tax cars from 2006 onwards when the law was introduced and people were aware, but what are we supposed to do if we already have the car? Urgh!!!!!!!

I've been a Labour voter all my life and this is the last straw!

that's appalling

not fair at all

but since when have their decisions been fair?

We are in the same boat with our Galaxy. With three kids close in age needing proper car seats our options were very limited.

life isn't fair
governments can't be trusted
plus ca change

They're a Labour government, therefore they love to spend other people's money. No surprises there.

But I can't bear to vote for the other lot either.

what are the options for those with 4 kids then? am guessing my zafira will be affected but i thought it was one of the smaller people carriers, that was why i got it

My Galaxy is 10 years old, so I suppose I avoid it, but backdating it is really unfair.
I could not afford to replace my car right now, much as I'd love one of the new hybrids.
Perhaps us with 7 year old cars could get a subsidy to buy a new one?!
Ha ha like THAT'S going to happen.

We knew about this ages ago- wasn't that secret if you searched the budget details, therefore we bought a acr just old ebough (have 4 kids really need MPV)

used to get 3 car seats in a Proton saloon- the Graco car seats are good for that.

My Zafira is 7 years old - Bugger

It depends which engine you have, chamaeleon - if it's under "226g CO2/km" emissions it doesn't apply. (I think!)

My Zafira is a 2.0 diesel and I think it's under that - if it isn't I will think about getting a smaller engine before it comes round (have been considering that anyway). It's the big petrol engines which will be affected???

Just checked - mine is 175g.

be careful with smaller engiones though- we had the samllest sized espace and you ahd to practically push it up the hill into the village it was that under poweered.

Zafira's are lighter though arent they?

I have a 1.6 petrol Zafira and it's 190g, so will go up a lot but not as horrifically as some. The 2.0 petrol Zafira's will be hit hard.

2.0 diesel zafiras are band e so ok, panic over. www.whatgreencar.com/ if anyone wants to check their car.

Luckily our family car is so old it won't be affected.... fingers crossed it lasts a few more years because I can't afford a new(er) one either!

Like one of the comments on that link, we use our car far less than the national average - and in fact once the dcs are all at secondary school I would hope to use it even less/get rid of it altogether. At the moment it just not feasible to get to school on public transport and would take too long on foot...

Oh thank you for that link, chamaeleon - very useful

Zafiras become band J next year though - from that link in the Times article - p 122 here

Road tax for that still hits £300 in 10/11 (but buying a greener car would cost a lot more than that )

I wish Gordon Brown would stop thinking that we all have a bottomless pit of cash. Our car is too old to be affected by this - was PILs old car. However, it just seems at the moment to be endless tax demands.

This really is the last straw. Things are really starting to hurt financially now (council tax especially). On minimum wage and petrol costs mean going to work may soon not be viable (public transport impossible).

Band J shows £270 on the HM Treasury page in 2010/2011. It's the next band up that's £310.

Still awfully high though either way.

Oops - it's actually Band I, not Band J - but I misread the table, it's £300 for a new car in 10/11, £210 otherwise. So not that much extra (phew) - thanks, Zoe!

DH's car is a dirty old 1999 diesel - his raod tax was £185 this time - that figure doesn't appear in the table at all, is there a different table for old cars?

I don't think old cars will be classified in the system as they weren't given the emissions ratings that newer cars have, so it probably won't change by that much.

it's a good thing we drive old bangers!

here's hoping they last a while longer.

I just told my dad about this and the air here was very blue.

I don't understand how charging us the earth for our cars will help save the earth? as in the first comment on that link.

Look at the globe fgs - you can hardly see the UK on there, It's not going to help diddly squat towards that argument. Just another kick in the purse for everyone.