Rutherford's column

28th June 2010

The new Chancellor, Boy George, is skint. As are the British Isles whose books he is trying to balance. Against that dire financial backdrop, he had three motoring-related choices in his Emergency Budget last week.

First, he could have done nothing by keeping road user and other streams of motoring taxation at levels identical to those he inherited from the outgoing Labour regime.

Second, he could have issued a ‘Your Country Needs You... And Your Money’ war cry to drivers... before hammering us hard, via a raft of hefty new bash-the-motorist taxes.

Third, he could have warned us in advance that he’ll be taking a bit extra from us – around one pence per litre – in fuel duty, come the autumn. And added a further warning that he’ll be doing something similar in 2011, while also raising insurance by one per cent and VAT from 17.5 to 20 per cent...

To read the rest of Rutherford's column, pick up the latest issue of Auto Express, available from Wednesday 30th June.

Do you agree that the tax rises for motorists are fair? Have your say in comments section below.