Date published: 2006/05/18
The BBC says:
The owners of cars which generate the most pollution would face annual road taxes of £2,000 under Liberal Democrat plans to tackle climate change.
The figure - 10 times the current rate - would cover high-end cars such as BMW's 7 series, Bentley Continentals and the four-by-four Porsche Cayenne.
It would apply only to new cars, with exemptions for "essential" vehicles.
Airlines would also be taxed per flight rather than by passenger, to penalise companies operating half-full planes.
The party's environmental spokesman Chris Huhne said it was vital "to use green taxes as a lever in order to make our behaviour sustainable".
He said he wanted to "change the cars that we buy rather than the cars that we're using at the moment".
This was because it was important "people know exactly what they're letting themselves in for" when considering a purchase.
Mr Huhne insisted the increase would not lead to motorists retaining dilapidated cars instead of replacing them.
"The idea is not to encourage people to go on driving 'rust-buckets' but actually to encourage them when they're purchasing a new car to buy a car which is consistent with their environmental obligations," he said.
One of the fundamental principles of carbon taxes should be that they are proportional to the carbon produced. The annual road tax has nothing to do with the carbon produced, you pay the same amount whether you drive your car ten miles or ten thousand miles per year. (The fuel duty is different, that is a sensible carbon tax.) So this Lib Dem proposal (as supported by loads of other members of the chattering classes) is classic stupidity (or envy, depending on your viewpoint). And airlines should not be taxed per flight. They should be taxed on fuel consumed. Otherwise there is no incentive to use more efficient airplanes. So more Lib Dem stupidity. And needless to say, Chris Huhne himself contributes much more to carbon emissions than your average British citizen (as do all members of the chattering classes, because they are rich). In particular, when he was running for party leader he didn't mind taking a plane instead of going by train or car. Of course there is one rule for the ruling elite and another for everyone else.
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