Climate Change Part 27 - More Labour stealth tax.

Iain Dale points out some sterling investigative work done by Tory MP Justine Greening. Justine's work shows that the car tax rise announced in Alistair Darling first budget means we will be handing over £2.5 billion to the Treasury. All for LESS than a 1 per cent reduction in emissions. Not so long ago I wrote a post about the extremely stupid EU directive to fit daytime running lamps on all motor vehicles from 2011. Here is an extract from Hansard written answers on the subject:

From Hansard written answers:

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of the likely increase in annual fuel consumption resulting from the requirement to have daytime running lamps on motor vehicles.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Research undertaken for the Department for Transport indicated that the requirement for new types of motor vehicle to be equipped with dedicated daytime running lamps would result in an increase of about 5 per cent. in fuel consumption.

Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2008, Official Report, on motor vehicles: safety, what provisions have been agreed with her EU counterparts on the exemption of vehicles registered for road use before the commencement of the relevant European directive from the mandatory use of daytime running lights or their equivalent.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Following EU decisions on daytime running lights (DRL) issues, a European Directive will require new vehicle types to be equipped with dedicated DRLs from early 2011 (cars, vans) and summer 2012 (other vehicles). Vehicles registered before these dates will not be required to be retro-fitted with DRLs or to use existing lights as an equivalent.

Each year we are seeing approximately 5 million new vehicles registered (and growing) to use our roads. So this EU policy of fitting daytime running lamps to all new vehicles will see an increase in fuel consumption (5% of 5 million) the equivalent of adding a further 250,000 cars to our roads. This is of course the low end figure, and is for the UK only. I dread to think what the total number of additional vehicles would be for the entire EU.

So we pay 2.5 billion in car tax for less than a 1 per cent decrease in emissions - and the EU in its wisdom totally wipe it out - plus some, by forcing us to use daytime running lamps. And Gordon Brown insists on telling us that signing the Lisbon Treaty will be good for the environment and aid the fight against (so called) man made climate change - my arse it will.