Emissions tax has nothing to do with improving our air quality
SOME while ago the Environment Department, led by Yvonne Burford, proposed the introduction of a vehicles emissions tax. In its plans, the idea was to discourage people from purchasing larger polluting vehicles and instead encourage people to either travel by bus, take up cycling or use a motorcycle. The thinking was, that two wheels are better than four and it would be a way of helping to increase the flow of traffic, less traffic jams and to also reduce the amount of cars parked on the piers. With all the amendments made during the long drawn out debate it ended up with all motorcycles over 501cc having to pay an emissions charge.
The amazing thing is our wonderful deputies passed it in debate. It's incredible that the deputies think that by charging a £100 tax on a motorcycle this was going to encourage people to forsake their cars.
What many deputies didn't consider is that a large number of the motorcycles that will not have to pay the tax are in fact the most polluting as a large number of them are two-stroke. Therefore the noise- and air-polluting bikes pay no tax but the larger, exceptionally clean motors will have to pay.
It just goes to show that this supposed emissions charge is purely a tax and has nothing to do with trying to achieve better air quality.
Will our new deputies look at the subject again? I doubt it, they will all be happy to have a way of funding a bus service and when that starts to get more expensive they will simply put up the charges even though the motors will be even cleaner.
Name and address withheld.
