Pull the other one

I totally agree with the comments of N.A., Darlington that caravans should be subject to road tax. Although it is not a mechanically propelled vehicle, in most cases, it does take up more road space than the vehicle towing it. In my experience they are generally a hindrance, and do hold up the normal flow of traffic. I would go further and suggest that some larger trailers, such as horseboxes etc, should be included. I cannot see any difficulty in implementing such a system. It could well be embraced with the present Vehicle Excise Duty. When a vehicle owner renews his VED each year a question on the application form could be included, asking if the vehicle will be used for towing purposes. If the answer is YES then extra duty should be paid. It does not need to be excessive – say £10. Just think of the revenue this would bring in? Of course, smaller trailers, such as those used by campers and the like, should be excluded. If such a scheme was introduced then both the caravan owner/driver and the normal driver can be happy in the knowledge that the caravan is taxed for road use.

Asked on 28 November 2009 by

Answered by Honest John
The non-caravanning reader consensus is they should be regulated,
regularly tested and taxed on an unladen weight basis, similar to CO2 tax for cars. Same to apply to all non-commercial trailers, including horseboxes. (Commercial trailers are regulated by tachograph laws anyway.) But it won't happen because caravanners are a very vocal minority, not to be messed with, and politically the revenue raised would not be worth the fuss.
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