By Isle of Wight Observer
Dear Editor,
Remember the diesel con? Back in the early 2000s, the government urged us all to buy diesel cars, claiming they were better for the environment because of lower CO2 emissions. Many families did exactly as the government wanted, only to be told a decade later that diesel was dirty and dangerous. Suddenly, the cars we were previously encouraged to buy were taxed, restricted and demonised.
Fast forward to today, and along comes the EV con. Ministers have spent years promoting electric vehicles, dangling subsidies like the Electric Car Grant – up to £3,750 off the price of a shiny new zero emission car. They reassured buyers they were doing the right thing for the planet, and for their wallets.
But Wednesday’s budget brought another rule change, courtesy of Rachel at Accounts, when she introduced a pay per mile tax on EVs. Thus, those who followed government advice, invested in expensive new technology, and believed the promise of cheaper, greener motoring, now face another financial sting.
It’s hard not to feel conned. First diesel, now electric – what will the next car con be? Hydrogen? Hybrid? Or perhaps we’ll all be told to abandon cars altogether.
If government policy continues to lurch from one fad to the next, ordinary drivers will be the ones that keep paying the price. Not government ministers in their fancy chauffered cars – also paid for by us!
L Jones, Newport