A petition to consider lowering the age at which a car is given classic status has already attracted several thousand signatures.
Stephen Hearse-Morgan, who created the petition, wants to see the VED road tax exemption age for classic cars reduced to 30 years.
At present, UK legislation treats cars as qualifying for a historic tax and MOT exemption when they are more than 40 years old.
Age concern
Mr Hearse-Morgan’s motivation for lowering the tax exemption age is to encourage younger motoring enthusiasts into classic car ownership.
The 2020 National Historic Vehicle Survey, undertaken by the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBVHC), found that the average age of a classic car owner is 63 years old.
When the survey was previously performed in 2016, the average age was 61 years. It would seem Mr Hearse-Morgan has a point.
‘Old Timers’ at the ready
Lowering the tax exemption age to 30 years would see a wealth of cars from the 1980s and early 1990s gain historic status. This fits with the growing interest in the era, inspired by events like the RADwood series of car shows.
The benchmark of 30 years is also an international one to define the status of a car as historic. In Germany, a car becomes eligible for classic status 30 years after first registration.
German Federal Ministry of Transport rules allow ‘Old Timer’ cars to have special number plates fitted. This brings reduced road tax, and the ability to enter low emission zones.
Economies of scale
According to the FBVHC, there are more than 775,000 cars in the UK that would be classed as historic under a 30-year definition. Giving more cars tax exempt status would have an obvious effect on VED vehicle tax income earned by the government.
However, the FBVHC found that the classic car sector contributes more than £7 billion to the UK economy each year.
The petition will remain live on the UK Parliament website until 31 October 2021. Should it reach 10,000 signatures, the government will need to respond. Hitting 100,000 signatures will see it considered for debate in Parliament.
A similar petition in 2012, seeking to return to the previous 25-year rolling tax exempt status, gained almost 4,200 signatures.
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