If you drive a car in Britain, you’re probably more than aware that you pay a fair bit of tax for the privilege. This includes the annual tax on the vehicle itself, fuel duty every time you fill up with petrol or diesel, and VAT on the cost of your car and the fuel you use.
However, it may come as a shock that motoring accounts for a surprising 10% of the nation’s total tax revenue, according to AA statistics published by Fleet Point.
With this in mind, it’s little wonder that the AA is showing concern that motoring issues are being put on the back-burner when it comes to the main parties’ election manifestos. As things stand, it’s only really the Liberal Democrats who’ve said anything concrete, and that’s with regard to an increase in car tax.
In response to this perceived silence, the AA are encouraging social media campaigning, specifically in the form of a Twitter hashtag: #Vote4BetterRoads.
The AA want more commitment to political action on motoring issues, particularly in guaranteeing money to improve the state of the roads (the main issue for individuals they surveyed), and regarding the overall cost of motoring – which needless to say includes the taxes we mentioned above.
According to the study, 85% of motorists are worried that the taxes we refer to will be increased once the next government comes to power. The main concern was the state of the roads we drive. If the motorist is providing 10% of the tax to the government, then surely our roads should be in a better state than before. Fuel duty is a contentious subject but the freeze since 2010 has helped to bring some relief although the high prices last year haven’t helped/