Rant about VED and the roads
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 1:24 pm
This is the rant we will all have at some point in our lives, almost infallibly to people who will agree with you. If you're really lucky, you'll all be drinking heavily, everyone will agree vociferously, and the plan to go throw empty beer bottles at the DVLA and the county council is brought to a merciful end when Barry can't find his car keys. Probably just as well, as he's spent the past half hour trying to chat up the umbrella stand. But I digress.
I remember seeing a few weeks ago a humorous picture on Facebook, which proclaimed: “In England, we used to drive on the left of the road. Now we drive on what’s left of it!” After the obligatory chuckle, it made me think: why are the English roads so bad, but why do we still have road tax? Apart from as a reason to swear at cyclists in Central London? In France, my home country, the roads are in a much better state. But we don’t pay road tax (as such). The road repair bills are taken directly from the council main coffer. As the English are now doing. All well and good, I suppose, but why do the English still have this apparent separation between council tax and road tax?
An interesting point to make is how France runs its economy. Despite all common sense, the French (amazing how often those two phrases appear next to each other…) still believe wholeheartedly in Keynesian economics. So whenever the economic climate looks slightly iffy, half of France gets dug up and rebuilt. France’s economy may still be in the toad, but at least the roads are great!!
By contrast, the English roads are more heavily used, and more neglected. Repairs are carried out rarely and half-heartedly, and it’s every vehicle for itself. The distinction between road tax and council tax, to my cynical mind at least, is merely a ruse to make us believe that our money is going on road-related-things, rather than just to the large community coffer, to be spent on a new roof, at vast expense, to the Community Horticultural Society.
My solution is simple, and makes sense. So it will never get adopted by a government, sadly. But hell, I can dream! This, simply put, is my idea: Get all vehicles to pay an increase in road tax – hang on, not done yet – but that money goes straight into a dedicated coffer for the road network. Same with fuel tax, and their eco-taxes; a large portion of that should be siphoned off the already exorbitant tax rate on fuel, and added to said coffer. If the government really want to be green (or red, or orange or blue), then they should make the roads smoother, less wear to consumables, and less fuel burned.
Of course, none of this was the first thing that went through my mind when I lost traction on both tyres simultaneously whilst going round a roundabout at 5 to 10mph…
I remember seeing a few weeks ago a humorous picture on Facebook, which proclaimed: “In England, we used to drive on the left of the road. Now we drive on what’s left of it!” After the obligatory chuckle, it made me think: why are the English roads so bad, but why do we still have road tax? Apart from as a reason to swear at cyclists in Central London? In France, my home country, the roads are in a much better state. But we don’t pay road tax (as such). The road repair bills are taken directly from the council main coffer. As the English are now doing. All well and good, I suppose, but why do the English still have this apparent separation between council tax and road tax?
An interesting point to make is how France runs its economy. Despite all common sense, the French (amazing how often those two phrases appear next to each other…) still believe wholeheartedly in Keynesian economics. So whenever the economic climate looks slightly iffy, half of France gets dug up and rebuilt. France’s economy may still be in the toad, but at least the roads are great!!
By contrast, the English roads are more heavily used, and more neglected. Repairs are carried out rarely and half-heartedly, and it’s every vehicle for itself. The distinction between road tax and council tax, to my cynical mind at least, is merely a ruse to make us believe that our money is going on road-related-things, rather than just to the large community coffer, to be spent on a new roof, at vast expense, to the Community Horticultural Society.
My solution is simple, and makes sense. So it will never get adopted by a government, sadly. But hell, I can dream! This, simply put, is my idea: Get all vehicles to pay an increase in road tax – hang on, not done yet – but that money goes straight into a dedicated coffer for the road network. Same with fuel tax, and their eco-taxes; a large portion of that should be siphoned off the already exorbitant tax rate on fuel, and added to said coffer. If the government really want to be green (or red, or orange or blue), then they should make the roads smoother, less wear to consumables, and less fuel burned.
Of course, none of this was the first thing that went through my mind when I lost traction on both tyres simultaneously whilst going round a roundabout at 5 to 10mph…