Following the news about the VW emissions scandal, the UK Government has already launched an enquiry\u00a0and said it will re-test emissions of cars in the UK. Call me cynical but why would the Government do that? I can think of two reasons:<\/p>\n
Road Tax \u2013 is based on emissions ratings<\/strong>. Could it be that the annual road fund licence on affected vehicles would now be deemed too low? Could the increase be backdated \u2013 after all, it\u2019s not the Government\u2019s fault that the figures were wrong to start with; and what if the car has been sold on by the original owner \u2013 who makes good the difference?<\/p>\n Benefit-in-Kind Tax \u2013 is based on emissions ratings. <\/strong>The higher the emissions, the higher the tax, and without doubt many will have chosen a VW\/Audi\/Seat\/Skoda with low emissions (and low tax) in mind.<\/p>\n What will be the impact on these drivers and their employers if the Government finds that the official emission ratings on those vehicles must be increased? Certainly more tax going forward but how about the past. My guess is that this would pan out as follows:<\/p>\n As for the possibility of affected UK taxpayers pursuing VW for losses individually. I wouldn\u2019t rule it out and wonder if the \u20ac6.5bn provision includes that too.<\/p>\n VW company car owners and drivers may want to keep a tab on developments that arise from the Department Of Transport\u2019s enquiry. I know I will be \u2013 given that I have a tiny and definitely not cool shareholding VW!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Following the news about the VW emissions scandal, the UK Government has already launched an enquiry\u00a0and said it will re-test emissions of cars in the UK. Call me cynical but why would the Government do that? I can think of two reasons: Road Tax \u2013 is based on emissions ratings. Could it be that the[…] <\/p>\n\n