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news
The Grinch movie 2018"Grinch" Guernsey politician wants fuel duty frozen - and cyclists taxed
A politician in Guernsey has been called a ‘Grinch’ after he said that rather than increase fuel duty, cyclists should be taxed up to £200 instead.
The comparison between the character in the Dr Seuss book How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Peter Ferbrache was drawn by a fellow deputy in the Channel Island’s 40-member parliament, the States of Guernsey.
Ferbrache – who sits as an independent, as do all the other members including two representing the island of Alderney – acknowledged that his proposal was an “outside bet,” reports the Guernsey Press.
But he insisted that it was reasonable for all those who use the road to pay for their upkeep, saying that he “put it into the context of an alternative to the increase on fuel duty.”
In Guernsey, home to some 66,500 people, since 1 May 2016 owners of new or second-hand vehicles being registered with the island’s authorities for the first time are required to pay a First Registration Duty.
Also known as an emissions tax, it is similar to Vehicle Excise Duty in the UK, operating on a sliding scale with the most polluting cars taxed most heavily and the least-polluting vehicles zero-rated.
Ferbrache had the owners of those vehicles in his sights too, as well as people who use public transport. “Double the price of the tickets on the buses, tax electric vehicles when they’re registered and tax cyclists,” he said.
One objection that is typically raised when the question of cyclists paying to use roads is that such a tax ends up costing more in red tape than the money it raises, but the deputy had clearly thought that one through.
“I wasn’t talking about 10 or 20 pounds, I was talking about one or two hundred,” he explained. “There is no point in having a cycle tax that costs more to administer than it does to accommodate.
“The logic is there are lots of electric push bikes now, people spend a lot of money on their bicycles,” he continued.
Another point raised in connection with cyclists is that they don’t pollute, bicycles don’t damage roads, in contrast to cars or other vehicles, and that in any event, most adult cyclists own a car so will pay the applicable duty for that. the minor detail that roads maintenance is paid for by general taxation.
None of which seemed to have been taken into account by the deputy as he concluded: “It’s just a contribution, they use the roads, and the roads need to be maintained and resurfaced.”
The fact that cyclists and motorists are often one and the same person was noted by the States’ environment and infrastructure president, Barry Brehaut.
In response to Ferbrache's remarks, he said: “We shouldn’t be taxing something we are seeking to encourage, to place any financial impediment on an activity that has so many health benefits really does go against the grain of all public health policy.
“Tax payers pay for all road infrastructure now, cyclist are motorists too, why should they pay twice for doing something that is actually more environmentally friendly?
“Deputy [Mary] Lowe floated the same idea some time ago, it was candidly ridiculed then, the response has been similar this time,” he added.
“A number of children will have bikes this Christmas, I hope the taxing Grinch in the form of Deputy Ferbrache spares them a visit this year and for many years to come.”
Sam Field, the president of the Sam Field of the Guernsey Bicycle Group, outlined the benefits of to individual people’s health, and said: “It is not logical or sensible to tax a behaviour that has a positive benefit to the community.
“Guernsey Bicycle Group views Deputy Ferbrache’s proposal as little more than a headline grabbing soundbite.
‘”he proposal is not thought out, nor is it practical, administratively, practically or financially,” he added.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- David9694 3 sec ago
Theres not one scrap of self-help among drivers is there, it's always someone else's issue.
- Simon E 48 min 3 sec ago
Oh dear. A single bike in a single size in one shop is not indicative of the entire UK market for bicycles. And the slump isn't just bikes, it's...
- hawkinspeter 3 hours 40 min ago
Ridiculed or is it just jealousy?
- Rendel Harris 4 hours 6 min ago
Thank goodness for that. I don't suppose anyone would want you to. You certainly behave like one though.
- Eton Rifle 4 hours 14 min ago
You do see some utterly ridiculous examples of car use....
- Eton Rifle 4 hours 36 min ago
Exactly. Every road death is a tragedy but this is at the "twat deserved it" end of the spectrum, looking at the state of that car.
- Rendel Harris 4 hours 43 min ago
I'm not the editor of this article, nor indeed of anything on this website. One would have thought that didn't require explaining.
- Eton Rifle 4 hours 44 min ago
I think the answer is in your question. I genuinely didn't know he was married to her. It does kinda explain it. Disappointing, nevertheless.
- Daclu Trelub 9 hours 29 min ago
In a perfect world, we'd have a measure of how easily distracted someone is, as part of their driving test....
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20 comments
Still misunderstood:
If you are in the UK and pay council tax your are paying for local (not motorway) roads upkeep. Motorways come from central gov. funding So we are already paying for local roads (and most of us drive and pay emissions based taxes too). Bicycles do not damage normal roads (in comparison to cars and trucks).
Guernsey residents do pay a different local tax to cover the cost of waste, maintenance of the local infrastructure, (roads, schools etc).
lolz this guy is great.. we should try and get him onto Question Time, it'd be hilarious!
Ah, Guernsey
Area: 25 sq miles
Population: 63,000
Registered vehicles: 86,000
National passtime: moaning about the traffic
I'm almost too afraid to say it but.... He has a point (there, I said it). We do use the roads and it does cost money to maintain them. I would be much happier paying a tax for the pleasure of cycling than paying tax on my income and everything I buy purely because some fat suits have decided I should.
In order to answer the critics we also need to ban cars from the island. I mean it's a small island. You could cycle around the whole circumference in a few hours! What the fcuk do they need cars for on the island?! So yes, tax cyclists but get rid of the real problem (cars) and let the infirm/elderly/lazy take a cycle taxi and cargo bikes can take care of deliveries. Fantastic - I'll move there!
Very Sarky!
Chapeau sir, chapeau.
Oh look who's giving a talk at the opening of a new luxury car storage enterprise on Guernsey -
http://www.lordes.gg/media/luxury-car-storage-company-revs-up-operation_...
And aren't I right in thinking that the Channel Islands are a bit of a tax haven?
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/business/2017/dec/05/...
So maybe if folks were paying proportional taxes to their incomes the islands wouldn't need to be looking to screw cyclists to pay for road maintenance.
Hmmm, Let's ponder. I wonder what car he drives? Toyota Aygo or Range Rover Evoke? Let's guess. Might not be those precise models but you know what I mean!
So, a £200 fee on a bicycle. Comparing that amount to the price of a typical starter or utility runabout bike... How many thousands of pounds is he proposing to charge motorists for their cars??
the article implies that the car emissions tax is new since May 2016? Does anyone know the detail on that?
If so, there’s nothing worse than a group of people who have gotten used to the idea of their getting Something for Nothing, or on the cheap and then being charged for the privilege. If they are, to use the tabloid phrase “hard-pressed motorists” then they are the very worst, and what it clearly needs is a politician like this to speak up on their behalf and restore some order.
Other proposals include a Crying Levy on babies under 6 months, an Air Duty on birds (flightless species can reclaim duty paid on form FSA-pec-01-198 and do it properly, none of your pidgeon English/French) and an additional Knob Tax for Audi and BMW owners.
Cue: “I’m a cyclist and I drive an Audi, what’s wrong with that?” “I also hold a black rectagular lump of plastic up to my face some times when driving, it’s a stress reliever, and so what if the raincoat I wear to the park on Saturdays is a bit grubby - it’s not for you to judge me.”
No, of course not, sorry for the misunderstanding - my bad.
Sounds like Guernsey could do quite nicely out of a tax on stupidity.
That would fund a new road system, a new hospital, a new free education system and deep space exploration searching for intelligent life.
I think Guernsey already does quite nicely out of tax. Specifically, helping rich people to avoid paying it
Seeing as Ferbrache has enough time on his hands to come up with ideas like this he obviously has enough time to research how various vehicles damage roads. This blog whilst American gives a bit of perspective on the damage caused by various types of vehicle. https://streets.mn/2016/07/07/chart-of-the-day-vehicle-weight-vs-road-da...
That article has possibly the greatest ever unit of measure "Fat Man on a Freakishly Heavy Bicycle"
I wonder - if every parliament, senate, council, commune, and parish worldwide published the proceedings of their meetings to a central web server - would an analysis of all that data show that at any given moment some misinformed blowhard somewhere is making out cyclists to be what is wrong with the world. Instead of, say, almost anything else.
Was expecting another depressing read...then it turns out most of the other MP's are pretty knowledgeable and sensible
" ...... it was reasonable for all those who use the road to pay for their upkeep ...... "
If that applies to hospitals too I want my money back.
Cunt
Wow. What a massive cockwomble...