Width tax would actually benefit tradespeople
I WOULDN'T normally respond to an anonymous letter in the Press, but Monday 15 May's about pavement surfing not being a problem gives me the opportunity to explode a few myths. The unknown correspondent bewails the fact that taxi drivers and white van men will be hit if my idea for an annual width tax is adopted. In fact, quite the opposite is true and they would be among the biggest gainers. Other net winners would include those with modest cars – often the moderately off. To be very clear, the proposal is not to tax the motoring public – in total – any more at all. Rather it is to replace the increasingly extortionate element of replacement motor tax in Guernsey's fuel duty with a new motor tax based on width.
This will kill two birds with one stone. One is certainly to incentivise those who are able to choose relatively narrow cars suitable for Guernsey's ultra-skinny road network. The second is to stop Guernsey fuel prices inexorably rising to become amongst the most expensive in Europe – or anywhere.
Why is this happening? Because with relentless falling volumes of fuel being sold, the 'road tax replacement duty' has to go up and up just to maintain the same real income as used to be generated by the road tax before its abolition.
This trend will only continue and accelerate and is clearly unsustainable.
Obviously taxing motoring in Guernsey, as a whole, the same amount as before but doing so differently would lead to winners and losers. The owners of commercial vehicles may well be hit by the new tax, but as their vehicles are used more heavily their savings through lower fuel duties would obviously outweigh this. Hopefully they would then pass on their savings to those who buy their services – but don't hold your breath.
Those with modest cars would pay little or no tax but would benefit from more-affordable fuel. A real incentive.
The losers (there has to be some) would be those who drive 'Chelsea tractors' for pleasure. They would be hit by the new tax and it would outweigh (in most cases) their savings on fuel.
If this latter group wants to complain, then fair enough, but let's not perpetrate myths about taxi/van drivers being worse off when they will be anything but.
PETER ROFFEY,
Herat,
Route de St Andre,
St Andrew's.
