andrewducker | Oh for fuck's sake

Oh for fuck's sake

There's a BBC News story here saying that the government shouldn't put up petrol taxes...because theey'll hit the poor harder than the rich.

OF COURSE THEY WILL!!!!!

All taxes, except for ones that are (in some way) means-tested, hit the poor harder, because the poor have less money.

If the tax didn't affect people by making it harder to drive everywhere all the damn time, it would be a tad pointless, especially when this is something the government has said it's supposed to encourage.

Oh, the stupidity.

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While I agree that it is problematic for self-employed people who have to drive a lot and companies where fuel bills will cut into profits.... I also feel that having some kind of "public transport system" might help people who feel their cars are essential for going places. Or even "walking". Yes, it's not for everyone, but if you're that poor, stop spending money on your car. Everyone I know who has a car spends quite a lot of money on it. Very few of them need it.

I should point out that if the petrol tax increases the cost of petrol to the extent that some people can no longer function (driving kids to school, driving for work etc) then it is self defeating to tax them more. Mostly however, I take your point.

I'm not sure what your argument is here. Fixed amounts of tax applied to everyone are regressive. The problem is not that it makes it harder to drive (assuming that's your goal) but that it makes it relatively easier for rich people to drive. This is usually seen as unfair.

I'm not sure this sort of tax should be imposed in isolation. Without government efforts to provide clean, reliable and safe public transport, it just looks like bloody-minded environmentalism.

What it is doing is hitting those of us who live outside the major cities. In cities, public transport is generally a viable alternative to driving. Around here, for example, we do have public transport, but it amounts to a total of 4 buses per day, the last of which is at 4.30pm. Hence why people have no real alternative to using a car.

I need my car to get to work, and have decided that I need to either get a new job closer to home, or move closer to work. (But North Lanarkshire is not exactly attractive)

However, if I want to get into Falkirk, I can pay £1.80 each way for a ticket on First bus(*spit*), or, I can take the car and burn probably a couple of quids worth of fuel...

If you are in Edinburgh, its fine, because you have a good proper integrated bus network. If you are out in the sticks, things are more complex.

Moreover, since there has been changes in the kinds of work people do, they have to travel further to work, or face moving house every few years in order to get closer to their new work place. I can't recall the statistics, is it changing job every 5 years? No idea. But if you change job every now and then, moving house is a lot of hassle. Far easier to commute that extra 7 miles a day.

But yes, if you live on a transport route, you don't really have a leg to stand on.

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