As those list members in the UK are no doubt aware, our beloved Chancellor
of the Exchequor promised on Wednesday to give a #2000 trade-in on any car
over 10 years old, against any new car. While this is purpoted to be a
"green" initiative, trading in old cars that don't meet modern pollution
standards, it doesn't actually mandate that the new car be any more
efficient than the one being traded in - and I have no doubt a Land Rover
Discovery pumps out a lot more CO2 than a Morris Minor...
What worries me is that there is no maximum age limit - someone could easily
trade in a slightly tired-looking MG Midget, or Spitfire, or Morris Minor,
or Scimitar, or Dolomite, all of which would probably be worth #1000 or even
less on the open market, to get the full #2k discount off a new car. I'd
HATE to see any viable classics crushed as an unintended consequence of this
scheme.
Even if this doesn't happen, the scheme is bound to play havoc with the
entire market for sub-#2k used cars. I'm not enough of an economist (well,
I'm not one at all), so I won't try and predict consequences, but there's
bound to be an effect and it probably won't be good for those at the
economical end of our hobby.
Of course, there's no way anyone's going to pursuade the government to
change their minds on the scheme. But there is a window, before it comes
into effect, when we just might pursuade them to modify the rules, to
exclude classics - I suggest a (somewhat clumsy and arbitrary, I admit, but
easily understood, defined and enforced) cut-off date of 20 years. It'll
cost the government nothing, either in terms of face or effectiveness of
this policy.
SO, PLEASE, ALL UK MEMBERS, GO TO THIS PETITION ON THE PRIME MINISTER'S
WEBSITE AND SIGN:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/noscrapclassics/
The petition is only open for 1 month, since it needs to close before the
scheme comes into effect, so sign up promptly! Tell all your friends!
List members outside the UK - sorry, you're not allowed to sign.
Thank you for your attention.
Richard & Sammy ('73 Black Tulip BGT), former owner of Daffy ('78 Inca
Yellow Spitfire)
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