Car tax in the UK

[Ian Grace]

Hello everyone in the UK. I have heard rumours that car tax on second hand cars - prior to 2001 and with engine capacities over about 1600 cc are going up dramatically as a 'green tax' - so much so that second hand car prices are dropping? I heard that the tgax on a 2000 Renault Megane was GBP 340?! I hope that pre-1963 vehicles are immune from this because we pay no tax, but could someone summarize what is happening?

Thanks!

[cammy]

Ian, I don't think anyone including the Government knows what is happening. Gordon seems to be wanting to be Green, his back benchers want him to go, they are scared of appointing another unelected PM and they would probably lose an election at the moment so all is in a state of flux.
Thats what I think, Clive

[chris lambert]

Ian,
To add to that, I can find nothing in any of the published matter I have read that would indicate that Historics are going to be taxed any differently than now. i.e. Free of Vehicle Excise Duty. (VED) That is not to say it won't happen at some point in the future, but it is not included in the proposals you mention. Apparently Historics represent a very small proportion of total vehicles on the UK roads (a small fraction of 1%) and would not provide a very lucrative target for Darling and co.
Chris

[Toby]

sadly these taxes on 2nd hand cars ignore the fact that vast energy and resources are consumed fuelling the new car market and consigning cheap 2nd hand runabouts that still have years of use to the scrap heap where they consume more precious resources and create more co2 being recycled!