WHY?... was the 'ROAD FUND LICENSE' suddenly changed to 'CAR TAX'...?

Question

I think it was to allow the government to charge us for using the uk's roads twice?...any better explanations out there?...

Answer 1

It hasn't!

The proper name is 'Vehicle Excise Duty'

'Road Fund Licence' was what it was referred to in the past and 'Car Tax' is just what some people refer to it as.

Answer 2

Originally the money was used solely for motoring related expenses e.g. building new roads.

Now the money is also used for other things, e.g. the NHS, defence budget, education etc.

Therefor it is no longer money to fund roads but in fact a general tax on car ownership.

Answer 3

look up Sir Winston Churchill,,,PM till 1955,,,

prior to then it was a toll to repair and build roads,he changed all that and made a goverment means of raising taxes which they have been doing ever since in ever increasing amounts.

Answer 4

"Car tax" is very much the informal name.  Officially it is called "Vehicle Excise Duty."

Answer 5

When we first started to drive cars the motorists demanded better public roads so the government of the day said the motorist would have to pay for the road and imposed a Road Fund tax and the license bit was what you got to show you had paid. However the amount collected was never all spent on the roads so it was always an illusion and now it has been made clear

Answer 6

Id agree with you - mainly because when I look at my com. charge bill it tells me in the listing of what they have spent the money on it claims to pay for better roads.

And just to annoy me further - the road outside my house has needed fixing for 8 months - and they havnt come near.

Wouldnt it be good if we could prove they are not providing the goods that they have promised?  And we could claim a refund.  I mean we can do that with most other providers of goods.

;-)

Answer 7

It stopped being called the Road Fund when the government no longer had the brass neck to pretend the money was still being used for road purposes.  Now it's Vehicle Excise Duty.

Answer 8

Initially the funds collected from car owners,were deemed necessary for the upkeep of the roads, which, the powers that be thought would be damaged by motor vehicles. Later the government started using the money for other things, and so it became A TAX.

Answer 9

Well, we all used to call it 'car tax' anyway. The Government thought it was more 'open' and PC to call it by it's rightful name, bless it!

Answer 10

Didn't know it was called car tax - thought it was vehicle tax as it applies to motorbikes, cars, vans, buses etc etc.

Think it is because the money doesn't just "fund the roads" anymore.

Well, it certainly doesn't look like anything is funding the roads around here, there's holes, patches and cracks EVERYWHERE!

Where is all the money going???!!!