Number 10 takes 10 months to respond to road tax petition

A petition opposing motorcycle road tax rises has been rejected by Number 10 – more than nine months after the petition closed and the increase went ahead.

The petition, posted on Number 10’s website, gained over 7,000 names by the time it closed for signatures last March 17. It opposed tax rises for bikes over 400cc which came in last April 1.

Today Number 10 responded: “The previous Government set and legislated for the existing 2010-11 rates of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED). VED rates for smaller motorcycles of up to 400cc engine size were frozen.

“We announced our first changes to taxation in our June emergency Budget. The Budget sets out the action the coalition Government is taking to rebalance the economy and provide the conditions for sustainable growth.

“We did not rush to any premature conclusions on VED in this Budget. The Chancellor keeps all taxes under review, including rates of VED, along Budget timelines. We therefore welcome this petition’s input to our ongoing consideration of the UK’s vehicle taxes.”

The latest rises pushed the price for bikes between 401cc and 600cc and from £48 to £50 for larger machines from £66 to £70.

The petition, submitted to Number 10’s website by the BMF’s Chris Hodder, said: “Given that the motorcycle industry is facing some of its darkest days, with sales slumping by around 25-30%, it makes no sense for any government to increase taxes on motorcycle ownership as is proposed in the Pre-Budget Report.

“We petition the government to support the motorcycle industry as it has the car industry and freeze or lower Vehicle Excise Duty and provide some other stimuli for the industry and not to attack it further by increasing the cost of ownership for law-abiding citizens.”