| Car tax rises leading to confusion and
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| | petrol-electric hybrid, Smart car 0.7
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| anxiety
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| | litre petrol, Citroen C2 1.4 litre diesel
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| Swinton Car Insurance is concerned that
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| | and the Ford Fiesta 1.4 diesel.
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| the latest wave of car tax rises outlined
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| | Band C (cars which emit between 121-150g
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| by Gordon Brown is leaving drivers unsure
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| | km) includes Fiat Panda 1.2 petrol, Ford
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| about which category their car fits into
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| | Ka 1.3 petrol, VW Golf 1.9 TDI diesel,
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| and whether their vehicle is one of the
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| | Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi diesel hatchback and
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| heaviest polluters.
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| | the Jaguar X-type 2.0 diesel saloon.
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| The Manchester-based insurance company
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| | Band D (cars which emit between 151-165g
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| believes that the vast majority of
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| | km) includes the VW Passat estate 1.9 TDI
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| drivers of family saloon type vehicles
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| | diesel, MINI One hatchback 1.6 petrol,
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| are unsure where their car fits on the
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| | Ford Fiesta 1.6i petrol and the Peugeot
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| pollution scale and how much it is
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| | 307 1.4 petrol.
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| costing them.
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| | Band E (cars which emit between 166-185g
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| But, more alarmingly, an increasing
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| | km) includes the Ford Mondeo saloon 1.8i
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| number of drivers are getting worried
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| | petrol, Vauxhall Vectra 1.8 petrol
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| that they may unwittingly be falling into
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| | saloon, Rover 75 1.8 petrol and the
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| Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) banding
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| | Toyota Avensis 1.8 petrol saloon
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| brackets which are becoming demonised for
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| | hatchback.
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| being so-called gas guzzlers.
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| | Band F (cars which emit between 186-225g
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| Jon Kirk of Swinton Insurance said that
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| | km) includes the Land Rover Freelander
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| it is all very well the Chancellor
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| | 2.0 diesel, Toyota RAV4 2.0 litre petrol,
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| raising car tax for the heaviest
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| | Audi A4 1.6 petrol, BMW 5 series estate
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| polluting vehicles and lowering it for
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| | 3.0 diesel and the Mazda MX5 2.0 petrol.
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| the most environmentally friendly cars,
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| | Band G (cars which emit more than 225g
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| but the simple truth is very few people
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| | km) includes the Jaguar X-type 2.0 petrol
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| actually know which of the seven A-G
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| | saloon auto, Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe
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| bandings their cars fall into.
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| | 3.6 litre petrol, Renault Espace 2 litre
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| "It came as no surprise that the
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| | petrol Range Rover 4.4 V8 petrol auto and
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| Chancellor put up car tax on the heaviest
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| | the BMW X5 4.8 litre petrol.
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| polluting vehicles in the latest Budget,"
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| | Simply by making these examples known,
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| said Jon. "And most people know that 4x4s
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| | Swinton Insurance hopes to put drivers at
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| are the worst polluters on UK roads, but
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| | ease because they have a better framework
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| that's not the whole story."
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| | to work from when trying to establish how
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| As he points out, figures from the
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| | much more they are going to have to pay
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| Society of Motor Manufacturers and
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| | each year in car tax.
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| Traders revealed that the worst polluting
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| | "The biggest problem is that most
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| band only accounted for 7.5 per cent of
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| | motorist have little idea how much the
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| all new cars sold in 2006.
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| | increases announced by Gordon Brown are
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| At the other end of the scale the number
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| | actually going to cost them until they
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| of cars which fall into the first two
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| | receive their car tax renewal notices,"
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| bands only accounts for 4.7 per cent of
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| | said Jon.
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| cars.
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| | "And given the Chancellor's timescales,
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| "This means that nearly 90% of cars on UK
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| | some people won't feel the full effect of
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| roads fall into just four of the seven
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| | his announcement for another 12 to 18
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| bands," said Jon. "So you can see where
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| | months."
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| the concern is arising as there seems to
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| | While there are losers who will have to
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| be a huge mid-ground where owners of
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| | pay more car tax because of the
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| typical family cars can't be sure where
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| | Chancellor's announcement, there are also
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| on the scale they are in terms of carbon
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| | winners. Drivers of cars in Band B will
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| emissions."
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| | see their road tax bills cut by £15 to
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| Swinton Insurance points to a list of
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| | £35.
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| examples of cars in the different bands
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| | But this will only be short-lived because
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| to try to help clear up some of the
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| | the Chancellor also said VED will rise by
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| confusion.
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| | £5 for each of the next three years.
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| Band A (cars which emit less than 100g
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| | Drivers of petrol cars also face an extra
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| km) includes the Honda Insight petrol
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| | hike because Gordon Brown said he will be
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| electric hybrid and the Smart diesel.
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| | aligning the differing rates between
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| Band B (cars which emit between 101-120g
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| | petrol and diesel cars to the higher
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| km) includes the Toyota Prius 1.5 litre
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| | diesel rate.
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