Interesting, or refreshing, to see motorbikes put forward in a positive light. Of course nothing will happen though...
Bromsgrove Advertise wrote:BROMSGROVE'S MP is calling for a Government rethink on how Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is calculated for motorbikes.
Bradley Thomas, MP for Bromsgrove and the Villages, is leading a cross-party campaign arguing that the current system for calculating Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for motorcycles is 'inconsistent'.
While car VED is based on CO2 emissions, motorcycle VED is still determined by engine size.
Mr Thomas said: "Motorcycles are amongst the lightest and least damaging vehicles on public roads; a consideration the Government uses for the basis for Heavy Goods Vehicle VED, reflecting greater road damage is caused by heavier vehicles.
"Yet, if weight is an appropriate proxy for road impact for HGVs, it’s difficult to justify why it hasn’t been applied more broadly, especially given motorcycles, at the opposite end of the weight scale, cause minimal road wear.
"I believe this inconsistency in Government policy warrants urgent review."
The Government has said it currently has no plans to change the system.
Some years ago there was a brief moment when the government wanted to 'mainstream motorcycling':
"in February 2005 the Department for Transport published
The Government’s Motorcycling Strategy.
The principal aim of the strategy is to
‘mainstream’ motorcycling". https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/c ... 64/264.pdf
Scootabout wrote: Tue May 26, 2026 11:16 pm
Some years ago there was a brief moment when the government wanted to 'mainstream motorcycling':
"in February 2005 the Department for Transport published
The Government’s Motorcycling Strategy.
The principal aim of the strategy is to
‘mainstream’ motorcycling". https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/c ... 64/264.pdf
What happened to that?
The usual hubris. As a voting minority (who here actually votes based on their offered candidates motorcycling credentials??) we're lucky to get the occasional scrap spilled from the political table.
The "fairness" of taxation is as questionable as the fairness of insurance costs. I have three modern vehicles and two historic ones but the fact is that I can only ride or drive one at any given time. Paying five insurance premiums is as bad as paying three times for road tax. It is often proposed that road tax should be paid on a per-mile-used basis but from the perspective of overall tax-take this would lose all the double charging and this makes it an unattractive proposition for politicians. Not unlike the low tax rates on electric vehicles where the authorities have backed themselves into a corner because heavy electric vehicles with high torque output will cause even faster wear and tear on roads.
Of course nothing will happen though... 
