Federation
of British Historic Vehicle Clubs
We have received two useful documents on the Cash for Old Cars
news item we reported on the V8 Website 1st December 2008. More |
FBHVC
News
21st November 2008
The following press release has been sent to us from RAC Motoring
Services:
It has recently been reported that RAC Motoring Services is
in favour of the compulsory scrapping of cars over the age of
17. We would like to confirm that this is a misquoted story
from the RAC Foundation, an independent charitable trust think
tank, that is entirely separate from RAC Motoring Services.
RAC Motoring
Services does not support the wholesale compulsory scrapping
of cars over 17 years old and certainly not classic cars which
are an important part of Britain’s motoring heritage.
However, we do support the principle of a voluntary scrappage
scheme where motorists with old, inefficient cars are given
a financial incentive to scrap their car and replace it with
a newer, more efficient model. This would be a voluntary Government
funded scheme created to give a helping hand to those that
want to change their old car but are struggling to do so due
to the current economic climate and potentially limited resale
value of their vehicle.
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FBHVC
Position Paper
3rd
December 2008
Incentives
to scrap old cars
FBHVC is strongly committed to preserving the right to continue
to use our classic vehicles on the road as freely as modern
vehicles may be. We deliberately do not get involved with any
matters concerning more recent vehicles, because this would
tend to dilute our efforts and our influence. We are able to
negotiate concessions from various requirements, particularly
nowadays environmental requirements, on the basis that there
are limited numbers of classic vehicles, and they cover only
a low mileage. Similarly, the international body Fédération
Internationale des Véhicles Anciens (FIVA) have been
told by the EU that at the present level of historic vehicle
numbers they are prepared to continue to grant concessions,
but would be concerned if the numbers rose significantly. Partly
for that reason, FIVA have raised the age in their definition
of historic vehicle to 30 years. In the normal course of events
the vast majority of mass market cars are scrapped, perhaps
to be re-cycled, when their economic life as everyday vehicles
is ended, with only a limited number being kept by enthusiasts
to become classic cars, preserved examples of our motoring heritage.
Specialist cars, produced in small number, are always much more
likely to survive.
A House of Commons select committee, the Environmental Audit
Committee, in its report on VED as an environmental tax,
has proposed a cash incentive for scrapping old cars on environmental
grounds. This has been supported in a paper prepared for the
RAC Foundation suggesting an incentive to scrap cars that are
17/18 years old, the last tranche not fitted with catalytic
converters. Effectively this is intended to speed up slightly
what is anyway the normal cycle of use and disposal. FBHVC does
not object to this in principle, but would be concerned to examine
the precise details of the proposal if it should be adopted
by the government. We do wish to see a reasonable number of
cars surviving to become the classics of the future, and we
would be very strongly opposed to any element of compulsion,
if that were ever to be suggested. (The RAC Foundation paper
was misreported to have proposed compulsory scrapping, but thankfully
that is not the case) We should also of course object to any
more widespread incentive that would apply to older vehicles
which we would already consider to be historic, or nearly so,
which might encourage the scrapping of what would be potential
restoration projects or source of spares.
Classic
Car Mart, in its January 2009 edition, is launching a petition
against the proposal for cash incentives. Clubs and other members
will no doubt decide for themselves whether to sign or not.
FBHVC is reserving its position until such time as more detailed
proposals are put forward, if indeed they are.
References:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmenvaud/907/907.pdf
http://www.racfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=587&Itemid=35
http://www.racfoundation.org/files/Car%20ownership%20in%20Great%20Britain.pdf
http://www.classic-car-mart.co.uk/blog_ccm/
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/saveourclassics/ |
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