|
I am planning a week's touring in Scotland and reckon to go to Inverness by train, hire a car and get a clear start. Found a small car for £120 a week. I knew the CDW waiver would be a nonsense at £11 a day and not included, but the hire charge included £1.65 a day for the "Tax Disc". What's that all about, on a car that might pay £140 a year for the disc?
|
I've had that before, but the total has still been the same - its just been broken out on the invoice.
Had a car a couple of weeks back from Birmingham Airport which had a 15% location surcharge...
|
>> Had a car a couple of weeks back from Birmingham Airport which had a 15%
>> location surcharge...
>>
For anything near Birmingham I'd be wanting discount not a surcharge!
|
>>
>> >> Had a car a couple of weeks back from Birmingham Airport which had a
>> 15%
>> >> location surcharge...
>> >>
>>
>> For anything near Birmingham I'd be wanting discount not a surcharge!
>>
It was my route out so I was happy to pay!
|
|
As there is no VAT on tax disks, I guess they've found a way of reducing their VAT liability by separating it out.
|
|
Good thought Tigger. They should get you on the Greek bailout - you know what you are talking about!
|
...you know what you are talking about!...
Very sharp for 6.20 in the morning.
I saw a pic of Tigger's house once - worth a nice few quid - so I reckon he knows his stuff when it comes to money.
|
They should get you on the Greek bailout - you know what you are talking about!
>>
The last bloke the EU would want then...
|
>> Good thought Tigger. They should get you on the Greek bailout - you know what
>> you are talking about!
>>
Ha Ha! I'd be sacked within 10 minutes - the politicians are more interested in keeping their jobs for the next 5 years than in long term stability.
The UK is in many ways worse than Greece. I reckon we owe close to £8trillion. The government only recognises about a quarter of that though. Essentially we've been living beyond our means for nearly 30 years.
We have a major crash still to come. The government have given us a 30% drop in income wrt. international markets by devaluing, that gives us a breathing space, but doesn't close the debt. In the meantime, we carry on selling our assets to finance day-to-day living.
What really concerns me is that we've gone from the country who got very rich as the workshop of the world - leaders in many engineering fields, to living beyond our means, being fixated on X-factor and the like. We have some world leading industries left, but we don't cherish them. English engineers are still highly regarded across the world, except in England. If I say I'm an engineer here, I'm placed in the same league as the photocopier repair man! (I say England quite deliberately - Scotland is not quite as bad).
Last edited by: Tigger on Sun 26 Feb 12 at 16:45
|
|
In Italy engineers, holding a relevant degree, are addressed as "Ing" in the same way as we use doctor, professor etc. Quite right too.
|
|
I regularly address my Italian colleagues in words ending in "ing".
|
>> In Italy engineers, holding a relevant degree, are addressed as "Ing" in the same way
>> as we use doctor, professor etc. Quite right too.
>>
France, Germany and Austria too. My brother and I are both Chartered Engineers and get much more recognition in my father's village in France than in England.
In part it goes back to the industrial revolution. In Germany, sons of successful engineers became engineers, here they became 'gentlemen', MPs or landowners - ie. there is a class thing behind it.
|
>> As there is no VAT on tax disks, I guess they've found a way of
>> reducing their VAT liability by separating it out.
>>
The amount charged equates to over £600 per year!
I'm sure it is a creative way to increase the margins somewhere, but I am not sure they would get away with charging for a tax at somewhere approaching 6 times its real cost.
How about charging for breakdown cover?
|
>> I'm sure it is a creative way to increase the margins somewhere, but I am
>> not sure they would get away with charging for a tax at somewhere approaching 6
>> times its real cost.
Don't forget the initial tax from new is more expensive. They probably also factor in an allowance for the fact that the cars are not hired out 100% of the time.
Even so, it sounds quite creative!
|
>> Don't forget the initial tax from new is more expensive.
I thought some cars got a free tax disk for the first year if emissions are low enough (below 130g/km for CO2) - like in a small hire car? i.e. there is no VED.
I know my tax disk for this year is £0.
|
|
Just an odd tariff though, why not just roll it up into the headline rate ? I'd be tempted to ask for more information ! I had a hire car from a national firm for a trip to Manchester - I was scraping the ice off the screen the next day and found it had a "disabled" tax. In the glove box there was some woman's Driving Licence. I took possession of it and sent it on to her. I made the hire company come and get the car - they were very shame-faced.
Last edited by: R.P. on Sun 26 Feb 12 at 22:01
|
Odd Hire car charges - mikeyb
