In case anyone didn’t notice, the UK Treasury is the epicentre of climate related reports and also benefits from the resultant so called ‘green taxes.’ Nicholas Stern was a member of the Treasury at the time of the Stern Review on the economics of climate change, which was based on extreme computer modelled scenarios. The Stern Review spawned the equally absurd Garnaut Review.
The most recent review instigated by the UK Treasury was the King Review of Low Carbon Cars, which looked at the potential for alternative fuel cars, such as ethanol, hydrogen, or battery powered electric vehicles My suggestion for considering methanol as an alternative, as proposed by Nobel Prize for Chemistry winner George Olah, was ignored. Recently, I was fortunate enough to attend Professor Julia King’s inaugural lecture as Vice Chancellor of Aston University, which was based on the King Review. I talked to her afterwards and it became clear that isn’t a fan of personal motorised transport and is ‘government friendly.’ Hardly a recipe for objectivity, yet government reports and reviews are always described as ‘independent.’
March saw the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s ‘Budget.’ This included changes to the current road tax system for cars, which is based on CO2 emissions. As a result, the vast majority of drivers will pay more, drivers of family-sized vehicles being the hardest hit. Last week, as reported in The Telegraph, shadow Treasury minister Justine Greening obtained Treasury projections which disclose that while the amount raised from car tax will more than double – from £1.9 billion to £4.4 billion by 2010 – carbon dioxide emissions from motoring are expected to drop by less than one per cent.
I’ll leave the last words to Greening, who said, “This is a massive tax hike which will have virtually no impact on the environment. Despite their claims, the Government don’t expect this move to change behaviour at all – it is just another eco-stealth tax of the worst kind.”
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
But, the tax does fulfill the psychological needs of leftists to control lives of others for no good reason.
Love your website. I have searched endlessly on various search engines and am still unable to learn the names and expertise of those “experts” who sit on the IPPC. Could you please enlighten me as it’s simple enough for warmists to name renowned sceptics and give list their alleged paymasters in the energy industry but impossible to get info on those who wish to tax us to extinction. I’ve been on the IPPC website but for the life of me I can find no list.
Keep up the good work.
What’s the IPPC?
Anyone who thought that the demise of the UUSR would put an end to the machinations of the Fabian Society would have been quite mistaken – tits goal was, is and remains, a world socialist state by what ever means and how ever long it takes; the UN is part of the movement.
And remember, socialism is state control of our activities.
AGW is but a smokescreen.
Oddly it was the UK which produced Marx, classical lilberalism, and all the major political movements. Now they have done it again using climate and environment.
zzzzzzzzzz
G. Olah is a Nobel laureate in Chemistry.
“drivers of family-sized vehicles being the hardest hit.”
Calling large cars ‘family cars’ to try and make it more emotive. My ‘family’ car is a small 4 cyl car and has been for 10 years. When I had 4 children living at home I had a small Hi-Ace van.
Trying to pass off SUVs as family cars in just plain ridiculous.
BTW we need electric cars for more than just the environment. What do you propose to do when oil supplies become tight? For a taste of things to come just look at what is happening after a strike closed the 40s pipeline.
http://europe.theoildrum.com/node/3907
Louis – “And remember, socialism is state control of our activities.”
And also remember that libertarianism is corporate control of our activities. Either way we do not get a look in.
Why not try the center where socialism balances capitalism like we have here in Australia.
Yes, sorry, George Olah won the Chemistry prize – corrected, with link.
There is a list of IPCC AR4 participants here, from page 15 onwards:
http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/assessment-report/ar4/wg1/ar4-wg1-annexes.pdf
SUVs are useful family vehicles – I have medium sized one, and they evade higher CO2 road tax rates with a diesel engine. Part-time 4WD is a useful safety feature. American type SUVs are truck-based, unlike european ones. Estate cars and people carriers will be hit, particularly petrol automatics – in fact about 90% of drivers will pay more.
Electric cars are coming – there should be a smallish £15,000 Mitsubishi available soon – I’d buy one.
We should get about 10 years warning if oil starts to run out – but if anyone has a firm date I’ll put it in my dairy!
But the point of this post is that the tax changes are about raising revenue, not the environment.
Ender
“And also remember that libertarianism is corporate control of our activities. Either way we do not get a look in.”
Corporate control of our activities? Afraid not Ender, corporate control can only occur with the connivance of government – and it is obvious that your understanding of capitalism is incomplete.
Perhaps you should read some of the articles on http://www.mises.org before you make such inaccurate statements.
(Corporate control is Fascism, by the way).
You had 4 kids to burden Gaiea with, Ender?
How irresponsible.
Louis – “corporate control can only occur with the connivance of government ”
really Louis – and in your fantasy world corporations would never connive with the government. Just like in the land of the capitalist free the USA. No corporation has ever connived with the government there – have they Louis?
“(Corporate control is Fascism, by the way).”
Exactly right Louis – exactly what your extreme right wing wants.
Paul – “SUVs are useful family vehicles – I have medium sized one, and they evade higher CO2 road tax rates with a diesel engine”
So drivers of real family sized cars will not be taxed too heavily or at all just by choosing a smaller better car. So what is Greening whinging about. The vast majority of people with normal family cars will not be taxed at all however the owners of Toorak Tractors will be.
Sort of defeats the whinge against the tax really.
Ender,
Of course corporation connive with government, they have to, to be able to fulfil you understanding. Again, you don’t understand what capitalism is, and as you refuse to read anything that might lessen your ignorance, there is not much one could add.
As for my, so called, rightwing extremism, Ender, you are totally mistaken, it has nothing to do with Fascism. As I said, you just don’t understand capitalism. Never will I suspect.
Ender,
I had 3 kids and a Suzuki van and ran my business from the front seat using mental arithmetic.
Not gonna tell ya I made a fortune…
I expect to move into a brown paper bag shortly though…
Ender – most drivers will pay more for no reason other than to raise more cash for a tax and waste government, and we’re already paying £1.06 per litre of unleaded, plus 10p more on top of that per litre for diesel. Therefore, there’s already an incentive to buy a car that does more mpg.
New/current VED rates folowing the 2008 Budget:
Band
CO2 emission (g/km)
12 months rate
A
Up to 100
Not applicable
B
101-120
£35.00
C
121-150
£120.00
D
151-165
£145.00
E
166-185
£170.00
F
Over 185
£210.00
G
Over 225 – for cars registered on or after 23/03/06
£400.00
VED Rates in 2009-10 per year
Band A (up to 100g/km CO2) no fee
Band B (101-110g/km CO2) £20
Band C (111-120g/km CO2) £30
Band D (121-130g/km CO2) £90
Band E (131-140g/km CO2) £110
Band F (141- 150g/km CO2) £120
Band G (151 to 160g/km CO2) £150
Band H (161 to 170g/km CO2) £175
Band I (171 to 180g/km CO2) £205
Band J (181 to 200g/km CO2) £260
Band K (201 to 225g/km CO2) £300
Band L (226 to 255g/km CO2) £415
Band M (Over 255g/km CO2) £440
VED Rates in 2010-11 per year
Band A (up to 100g/km CO2) no fee
Band B (101-110g/km CO2) £20
Band C (111-120g/km CO2) £35
Band D (121-130g/km CO2) £95
Band E (131-140g/km CO2) £115
Band F (141- 150g/km CO2)£125
Band G (151 to 160g/km CO2) £155
Band H (161 to 170g/km CO2) £180
Band I (171 to 180g/km CO2) £210
Band J (181 to 200g/km CO2) £270
Band K (201 to 225g/km CO2) £310
Band L (226 to 255g/km CO2) £430
Band M (Over 255g/km CO2) £455
Below is the first year VED rates for new cars bought in 2010-11, the so-called ‘showroom tax’.
First-year VED Rates in 2010-11
Band A (up to 100g/km CO2) no fee
Band B (101-110g/km CO2) no fee
Band C (111-120g/km CO2) no fee
Band D (121-130g/km CO2) no fee
Band E (131-140g/km CO2) £115
Band F (141- 150g/km CO2) £125
Band G (151 to 160g/km CO2) £155
Band H (161 to 170g/km CO2) £250
Band I (171 to 180g/km CO2) £300
Band J (181 to 200g/km CO2) £425
Band K (201 to 225g/km CO2) £550
Band L (226 to 255g/km CO2) £750
Band M (Over 255g/km CO2) £950
Diesels produce less CO2 than petrol, but about 4 times as much of the real pollutants HC + NoX, and particulates.
Diesel vehicles emit less CO2 than petrol vehicles by virtue of their (much) better fuel economy.
Diesel fuel itself emits roughly 17% more CO2 per litre than petrol.
I’m looking forward to getting a small diesel vehicle myself in the near future – they go like the clappers.
Louis – “As for my, so called, rightwing extremism, Ender, you are totally mistaken, it has nothing to do with Fascism”
All the ‘best’ facists dictators were in bed with the large corporations. Just look at the Fanta story, or IBM or even Henry Ford. All good capitalists. I suspect that you have a very blinkered view of capitalism and percieve it as a pure force of good. Anyway this I am really just pulling your chain as little things amuse me. I really should stop now.
Paul – “Ender – most drivers will pay more for no reason other than to raise more cash for a tax and waste government, and we’re already paying £1.06 per litre of unleaded, plus 10p more on top of that per litre for diesel. Therefore, there’s already an incentive to buy a car that does more mpg.”
Well obviously it is not working as large SUVs are on the rise in both Britain and here. My problem is calling them family cars to try and spin the argument that taxing large SUVs will hurt families. However most normal families cannot afford the huge SUVs that these taxes are designed to limit. Having said that the people that buy large SUVs as status symbols will shrug off any extra taxes in their quest for social acceptance so it probably will not be effective. The only people that it will affect is the social climbing families that have bought these cars with home equity that they really do not have and cannot really afford them.
Look I am not really a fan of taxes however how else do you convince people that West Perth does not need a Prado to drive around in. A Jazz will do the same job with less than a quarter of the emissions and fuel. The funny thing is that, as I have said before, the place that did not have wall to wall 4WDs like West Perth was Kalgoorlie.
Ender,
You have to be the most ignorant twit posting on this blog.
Capitalism is the system of social cooperation in which individuals choose which and what actions to take, recognising at the same time the rights of all other individuals. ON this basis immediate gratifications are forgone for future benefits such as abstaining from certain types of behaviour in order to facilitate peaceful relationships with others.
You will, Ender, that the richest monopolists and “capitalists” you hate are actually the pre-eminent lefties of your world. George Soros being one such person. Al Gore, John Kerry to mention other pre-eminent liberals/socialists.
Ender, you are simply an ignoramus.
“how else do you convince people that West Perth does not need a Prado to drive around in”
Never happy unless they are trying to run people’s lives for them!
I have always wondered how totalitarian regimes like the National Socialists, the Communists (any), Pol Pot, and any number of others – managed to find the people they needed to run the concentration camps and “re-educate” people.
It seems I need wonder no more.
Ender
You just answered it.
Denialist Scum,
Just read the politically incorrect histories of those times.
Louis – “ecognising at the same time the rights of all other individuals”
What like the piece workers making Nike shoes – how are their rights going? What about the workers in Nigeria that are getting all our oil for us? They have a lot of rights don’t they?
Nuff said I think.
Ender – Ender – Ender.
Is there no end to the number of people out there in the world that you want to “straighten out” and run their lives for them.
How do you find enough hours in the day to cover them all?
In fact, in the interests of saving time, just tell us who out there (other than the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, and your good self, of course) – doesn’t need straightening out. I’m am having difficulty in keeping up with the list of recalcitrants – it’s already at 4 foolscap pages.
Denialist Scum – “Never happy unless they are trying to run people’s lives for them!”
So you think that it is your right to drive something that is totally wasteful simply to prop up your own importance? You know what they say big car small —-. So you should pay for that priviledge. Sorry mate this is not the wild west and you are not a cowboy. If someone wants to be that irresponsible then go for it however you cannot expect others to get the shits. Your actions affect others.
“I have always wondered how totalitarian regimes like the National Socialists, the Communists (any), Pol Pot, and any number of others – managed to find the people they needed to run the concentration camps and “re-educate” people.”
Oh yes pull the “this is exactly how Nazi Germany started” card whenever someone tells you this is not the wild west and you have social responsibilities. It sounded ridiculous when Basil Fawlty said it and you sound exactly the same but without any of the comic genius.
I don’t give a stuff what you do. If you need a huge car to do the same job a small car can do because you feel inadequate then you can damn well pay for it or get a smaller car that is easier on the rest of us to get oil for. Perhaps a few less of our diggers have to die getting enough oil for it then.
Damned if I am going to send people to be killed just so you can feel good. I trust you do not have the courage to actually go and fight the oil wars. I am assuming that you are content, like the rest of us, to allow young family men to do the dying for you while you drive in your Prado.
If enough of us, that do not need a Prado to feel like a man, can convert to electric cars and plug in hybrids then we can stop financing these terrorists that you despise so much and are so afraid of. They can then go back to fighting amongst themselves like they have been doing for the last thousand years without the billions of dollars we are giving them just so you can have a large car.
The whole point of this tax is because people that think they need large cars will not be convinced even when they see the 4000 young people that died for their oil so the only thing they understand is money. If they are penalised enough money then maybe, just maybe, they might see the sense of smaller cars that will allow our limited resources to stretch further and emit less CO2.
Have a look at them mate – have a look at the people that died for your oil
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nico-pitney/a-mosaic-4000-americans_b_93044.html
I guess you would not even have the guts to do that. This is how totalitarian regimes start. By good people turning blind eyes to things that they know in their hearts to be wrong however they did nothing to stop because of their own self interest or profit.
Well – golly gosh.
Finally I get it.
We stop emitting CO2 and all this evil in the world just goes away – as if by magic.
Well — why didn’t you say so earlier? I’ve just now got up and turned off the porch light.
Ender,
Just rattling your cage 🙂
Ender , do you think those nike workers being exploited….whilst being in a job and earning above average wages in their country would like Nike to move their business back to the USA…or some other western country???? To you they are exploited…to them they are lucky to have a job and be able to feed their families.
Most undeveloped/ underdeveloped countries start off having to use their one real comparative advantage (cheap labour)to their own advantage….look at Hong Kong and China……but i guess you are right, better they werent exploited……shame about the consequences though………….
Louis – “Just rattling your cage :-)”
Yeah I know.
“Just rattling your cage :-)”
Louis, I don’t know that I’d go that far.
Ender is right about one thing, though: “this is exactly how Nazi Germany started”. All you need is 5 things:
1) A self-righteous authoritarian (DING!)
2) A populist cause (DING!)
3) A scapegoat (DING!)
4) A compliant or supine media (DING!)
5) An apathetic population (DING!)
People like this are a concern.
Louis – if you have any doubts, check out Ender’s website at:
http://stevegloor.typepad.com/
All of the latest ‘content’ is pretty much dedicated to disparaging one person: Louis Hissink. Aparently there is enough bile to spread across at least two blogs.