EC To Outlaw Older Cars

Bill Woodhouse writes:

Some snippets from 3 pages of EC ideas:

A proposal to prevent people working on their own vehicles. All work to be carried out by an approved garage. This would kill restorations stone dead and close a lot of clubs. Also, how many modern garages would be prepared to work on classic machinery?

Only vehicle manufacturers, through their agents and dealerships, to sell spares. An instant end to all auto-jumbles. Where would we find classic spares?

Every vehicle to be subject to a possession tax each year, regardless of age or condition - even a box of bits would be included.

Cradle-to grave taxation on all vehicles, again regardless of condition.

The Kent Act to be extended across the whole of England and Wales, a disaster for stall-holding events. At the moment a free licence can be obtained from the Kent County Council and there are few Trading Standards officers to police it. If the present Government is re-elected then county councils will be ordered to appoint all the jobsworths they need to enforce the Act and to recoup the costs, which equates to a hefty licence fee.( http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/kent/standard.htm )

Local authorities will be given greater powers to seize vehicles parked on private land.

The use of vehicles over a certain age, maybe only 15 or 20 years, will be severely restricted. Owners will have to submit to their local authorities details of their intended trip and submit a route for approval. Local authorities will, of course, have to charge a fee for this.