Test Equipment Anonymous

I have just received news that the UK government is now eyeing up a new tax for UK drivers, tyre tax, this is aimed at EV drivers as they don't emit any tailpipe emissions. They are claiming that tyres wear down and that is a pollutant of our air quality. So it is looking likely that in many cities, ICE drivers will be paying emission tax, congestion tax, tyre tax and Pay per Mile tax, while EV drivers will lose the emission tax but be gaining the tyre tax.

Death and taxes are the two certainties in this life. If you don't like that, then consider living somewhere where the government does not collect taxes. For me that is not preferable.

What I do object to is an unfair tax that disproportionately hits those least able to pay.

Any attempt to tie the reason for a tax to the tax itself is silly, e.g. tyres causing air pollution. Two classic examples where that was not attempted in the UK were income tax and the window tax.

Do you guys still have the "TV tax"? Over here there was on again/off again Federal excise tax on tires but currently only tires greater than 40 pounds (18kg) are taxed. (Read: truck tires).

There's definitely been a move among governments to jack up the cost of living in general but with cars being a favourite target to pick on.

In Canada, the carbon tax goes up 10% at the start of April. Then there's another "clean fuel standards" tax being piled on top of that in July. Both are in addition to the slate of existing federal and provincial excise and sales taxes on fuel. The really offensive part is the carbon tax amount on your fuel purchase, whether it's automotive, heating fuel, whatever, is itself subject to sales tax. The Canadian government is taxing taxes. I already mentioned that in Trudeau's first full budget, he discontinued the public transportation tax credit and handed regular commuters an overnight 15% fare increase at the same time as all the rest of this.

Then there's the annual eyepopping increases to Canada Pension Plan and Employment Insurance contributions every January 1st that lower your takehome pay. Then there's the turning a blind eye towards ogliopy gouging. Whether it's telecommunications, groceries, you name it, the federal government's happy to stand by and let Canadians get ripped off and occasionally help out along the way. More telecommunications industry consolidation? Sure, Rogers can buy Shaw. Galen Weston and the whole George Weston Ltd. / Loblaw Companies Ltd. empire got millions of free money from the federal government to buy new energy efficient refrigeration equipment. Billionaires and their immensely profitable holdings are apparently deserving of free government subsidy but I'm sure if the 1980s Kenmore fridge in my kitchen packs it in, Trudeau will not be falling over himself to send me a cheque to replace it. In the 10 years I've been in this house, I certainly haven't been offered money to replace it preemptively in the name of energy efficiency. It's amazing for a prime minister that keeps beating the phrase "the middle class and those working to join it" from overuse, Trudeau's policies have been remarkably consistently middle and working class hostile.

Back to the subject of motorists, I wonder how long it'll be before someone, somewhere gets out one of the old mayor of Toronto Rob Ford's campaign slogans and starts campaigning on "The war on the car is over"?

MED6753 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 07, 2023 5:52 pm Do you guys still have the "TV tax"? Over here there was on again/off again Federal excise tax on tires but currently only tires greater than 40 pounds (18kg) are taxed. (Read: truck tires).

Taxes go into a big government pot and are distributed as the government sees fit.

The BBC licence fee goes directly to the BBC, and the government has no (direct) say in how it is spent. Therefore it is not a tax, per se.