Home > Press releases > 1998
16 Feb 1998
Drivers of small, fuel efficient cars pay more road tax (vehicle excise duty) in Britain than in Belgium, Germany or Ireland reveals a survey published today by Friends of the Earth,yet drivers of gas-guzzling monsters pay less.
Friends of the Earth's survey compared road tax rates for these models, Britain's most popular car and Britain's most popular company car, in the UK and in neighbouring countries [1].
It found that, if you drive a Suzuki Swift in Ireland, Belgium or Germany, you pay just over or less than half the annual road tax that you pay if you drive it in Britain. However, if you drive a Ferrari F50, you pay 30% more road tax in Germany, four and a half times as much road tax in Ireland and over seven times as much road tax in Belgium.
Altogether, you have to pay sixteen times as much road tax in Belgium, eight times as much in Ireland and four times as much in Germany to drive a Ferrari F50 as you have to pay to drive a Suzuki Swift. Furthermore, in Belgium and Ireland you also have to pay a far higher registration tax just to buy a large car than you do if you buy a small one [2].
Roger Higman, Friends of the Earth's Senior Transport Campaigner said:
“Britain's flat rate road tax is a joke. In no other country in Europe would you be charged the same amount to run a small fuel efficient car as to run a gas-guzzlingmonster. It is high time, the Chancellor abolished the system in favour of one that rewards drivers of cleaner,more efficient cars and penalises drivers of wasteful gross polluters”.
Friends of the Earth is lobbying the Chancellor to abolish the flat rate road tax system, as part of a package of tax changes to encourage greener lifestyles. This would also include a general increase in the price of petrol and diesel and greater spending on public transport,cycling and walking [3].
NOTES TO EDITORS:
| MODEL | UK | BELGIUM | GERMANY | IRELAND |
| Suzuki Swift | £145.00 | £65.82 | £40.51 | £77.90 |
| Ford Fiesta | £145.00 | £86.10 | £52.67 | £138.02 |
| Ford Mondeo | £145.00 | £146.74 | £72.92 | £257.41 |
| Ferrari F50 | £145.00 | £1082.62 | £190.41 | £677.39 |
Details of the models chosen are as follows:
BEST SELLING CAR IN BRITAIN
(according to Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders)
FORD FIESTA 1.3 EFi
Engine size:1300cc
Fuel consumption:41.5mpg(6.8 litres/100km)
BEST SELLING FLEET CAR IN BRITAIN
(According to Fleet Car magazine)
FORD MONDEO 1.8i 16v
Engine size:1800cc
Fuel consumption:34mpg(8.3 litres/100km)
LEAST FUEL EFFICIENT CAR IN BRITAIN
(according to Vehicle Certification Agency data)
FERRARI F50
Engine size:4600cc
Fuel consumption:10.6mpg(26.5 litres/100km)
[2] Britain no longer charges a tax on the purchase or registration of a new car. Neither does Germany. However many other European countries, including Belgium and Ireland, do. In most cases the amount charged is related to the size or the cost of the new vehicle. This also acts as an incentive to buy a smaller, more efficient car.
Registration taxes in the four countries for the four models are as follows:
| MODEL | UK | BELGIUM | GERMANY | IRELAND |
| Suzuki Swift | - | £40.87 | - | 23.2% of value |
| Ford Fiesta | - | £40.87 | - | 23.2% of value |
| Ford Mondeo | - | £81.74 | - | 23.2% of value |
| Ferrari F50 | - | £3269.58 | - | 29.25% of value |
Contact details:
Friends of the Earth
26-28 Underwood St.
LONDON
N1 7JQ
Tel: 020 7490 1555
Fax: 020 7490 0881
Web: www.foe.co.uk/feedback.html
Media team
