04/06/08 - Brown Must Scrap Plans To Hit Swindon Families With New Car Taxe

Brown must scrap plans to hit Swindon families with new car taxes, say local Conservatives

Families across Swindon will find it even harder to cope with the soaring cost of living unless Gordon Brown scraps plans to raise taxes on family cars, Swindon’s two Conservative Parliamentary candidates warned today.

“At a time when fuel prices at the pump are rocketing and households face even higher energy and supermarket bills, this could be the last straw for many working families in Swindon”, Justin Tomlinson and Robert Buckland said.

“But as ever when the government gets it wrong on a national issue, Swindon’s two Labour MPs won’t listen to local people.  They’re more concerned with supporting Gordon Brown than representing Swindonians, which is what they’re paid for”.

Low-income households will be the hardest hit, just as they have been with the 10p income tax hikes.  For example, the tax bill for a typical Ford Mondeo will rise from £210 to £310 a year, with a new £500 showroom tax on top. The Government says these are ‘green taxes’, but their own figures show there’ll be little or no effect on carbon dioxide emissions.

Cllr Justin Tomlinson, Conservative Parliamentary candidate for North Swindon, said:

 “At a time when families are feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living – because of higher fuel prices, energy bills and supermarket prices – the Government should scrap its plans for a big increase in road tax on family cars. This is yet another slap in the face for hard-working Swindon families from Labour, on top of the 10p income tax hikes”.

Robert Buckland, Conservative Parliamentary candidate for South Swindon, said:

“Conservatives in Swindon have consistently opposed these measures. The Government must execute a sharp U-turn.  Any change in road tax should focus only on the most polluting vehicles, and be offset by equivalent reductions in family taxes. All Gordon Brown is interested in is finding new ways to push up his notorious stealth taxes even further”.