Rachel Reeves just slapped drivers over 70 round | Tech News

Rachel Reeves is set to raid wallets as soon as again with pensioners amongst these to be slapped across the face with new car tax payments in weeks. The Chancellor will power tens of millions of motorists to put their palms of their pockets and cough up the money to remain on the roads with new Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) price hikes coming in April. 

Almost each petrol, diesel and electric car proprietor shall be hit with price hikes regardless of age, however for older drivers, the financial sting is more durable. Unlike the historic tax exemption for traditional automobiles, VED charges don’t include a most age restrict. It implies that disabled drivers are utterly exempt from VED expenses however healthy pensioners should nonetheless pay up to get behind the wheel.

(*70*) VED tied to inflation, rising prices had been to be anticipated. But ought to struggling pensioners already battling to remain afloat be handled the identical? The triple lock ensures pension funds increase every April according to the best price of inflation, however this might not be enough.

According to a current report by Age UK, one in three pensioners – that’s 4.1 million people – are feeling much less financially secure. The charity claimed that older residents’ financial security “is at risk due to the rising cost of living”.

Meanwhile, A earlier ballot of 2,000 drivers from Confused.com discovered that 18% of drivers had considered promoting their car as a consequence of rising motoring prices. The consultants stated that elevated fuel costs, insurance coverage prices and street tax expenses had been proving to be a drawback. The group even steered that “all-time high” driving prices might see tens of millions of drivers “priced off the road”.

Last yr, the Chancellor massively overhauled the tax system with hundreds of kilos added to yearly payments. Couldn’t Labour have given these most weak a yr off from one other aggressive price hike? Petrol and diesel homeowners are probably the most affected with these with the keys to model new polluting fashions set to pay up to £200 per yr more.

Instead, Labour might have seemed into copying the basic car tax exemption guidelines and introduce a most cut off for VED charges based mostly on age alone. In England, older residents can get a free older particular person’s bus cross once they attain the state pension age.

Extending this to permit motorists over the age of 70 to drive free of charge could be a well-liked vote winner and will help Labour get round one other main drawback.

The Government seems to be set to introduce obligatory eyesight checks for the over-70s as half of a new Road Safety Strategy that are more likely to be unpopular amongst pensioners.

Offering free VED charges to those that cross the checks is not going to solely quiet the doubters however would have pensioners queuing up to get their eyes checked earlier than being pushed, boosting street security.