The newly-announced increases in vehicle tax are yet another step in the wrong direction by the government and will also punish those again who are already struggling.

Speaker of the House of Keys Juan Watterson was spot on when he criticised the move and the fact that the Department of Infrastructure is charging those opting to pay by instalments more.

It all just shows how out of touch with the real world the department is.

We are being told that these increases are necessary to maintain the road network when the reality is that most of the funds raised will be wasted elsewhere in government and only a small part will go into the roads.

The increase in tax for electric vehicles is especially disappointing, as an electric vehicle now pays the same road tax as many modern diesel or petrol cars despite being more environmentally friendly.

Electric vehicle owners also already subsidise the rollout of the public charging network through higher unit prices and have never received any incentives when it comes to buying a vehicle (unlike in the UK and elsewhere). Doing the right thing for the environment is now seemingly being discouraged by the powers that be.

Frank Schuengel

Douglas

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