concerning the towing of caravans; my reliable grapevine sources concerning such matters have said that, having considered and rejected the taxingand insurance of bicycles, HM Tax and Excise has instead elected to tax caravans in the near future, according to their length. A seventeen footer would attract a tax of £170, and so on in order to keep tiongs simple for us older ones.
Now given the enjoyment and cheap holidays caravans provide, and the fact that most caravanners would fit into the "baby boomer" category, (ie, those who`ve never had it so good), the Chancellor reckons we have little to complain about and will cheerfully and selflessly accept the benefit to society that this will bring.
Knowing you lot, I reckon he may be less than correct in his assessment . .. I`m wondering if this will get all the ole crappies off the road . . . . with a suitable inducement to buy new of course . . .
------------- Peripheral people don`t have as much excitement but they sure live longer
So what about the folks who only use there vans 2-3 times per year ?
More to the point how would plod no which van is taxed unless they start issuing separate number plates for each and every caravan on the road .
Then there's the all year seasonals what about them .
I for one will never pay any form of tax on my caravan , they can fine me if they like but I would rather run the gauntlet .
I keep my car taxed and insured and my caravan roadworthy and serviced but I sure aint paying any F.....g tax just tow a tin box on the road .
So up yours George Osborne
Thing is, the fine detail hasn`t been settled yet. Knowing this (and every) Government`s record on comprtence, we may have some issues here, adjustments to make, sort of thing. For instance, if towing was the criteria, then extended stay may become a good option, albeit travelling through the night to avoid easy detection for those who like to live dangerously. . . sites could no doubt cater for this by having arrival times no sooner than 2 am . . . . . i`m sure any problems could be dealt with in a similar fashion to MP`s expenses . . .they know how to bend the rules!!
------------- Peripheral people don`t have as much excitement but they sure live longer
I think you rumbled me! . . was getting in a bit o` practice for April 1 when The Wise and Wonderful One pointed out that many of you could be genuinely very upset by this "rumour", so, apologies folks . . . ! sorry sorry sorry
------------- Peripheral people don`t have as much excitement but they sure live longer
It makes me smile though when the bike hating brigade tw*t on about how cyclists should be paying road tax & missing that drivers of hybrids & small cars with below 100Co2 emissions don't pay any..
The funniest thing about your post peterws is the bit about cheap holidays. Cost of caravan, depreciation, maintenance, insurance, 30 mpg or less for many, site fees from £8 - £45 night. Caravanning is not a cheap holiday. It is a lifestyle holiday.
I guess yer right, it`s not so cheap for some. We have an old van, basic (theft) insurance, shortish journeys (2 hours) and we book early at silly discounts (Haven) so, yes it`s cheap for us at the moment. and stress free too. Love it! Just got back from a 3 day-er and I`m ready to go again . . .
------------- Peripheral people don`t have as much excitement but they sure live longer
Haven! aye your right about one thing, cheap for a pitch, but my god you pay through the nose for everything else. I have never found them good for providing for tourers, and to be honest there showers toilets and even there pitches are very poor, and ive been to a few. But they do know how to empty your pockets.
You have to walk past 10 million games machines to get to the bar or the Mash and Barrel. We never used any of the facilities on this occasion, cos there was a pub down the road which did meals 2 for £10. The fish and chips were the best I`ve ever had in my life, . . .
------------- Peripheral people don`t have as much excitement but they sure live longer
Oh I know, trouble is my daughter loves it. Me and the wife hate it, but go once a year. There are a lot of private sites with entertainment which are far better and not to dear.
Strange we went to Reighton sands last year on the Caravan club's £6.00 offer, 2 hr trip from manchester with the van. Thought the site was very clean and the toilet block for tourers comparable and in some cases much better than the CC Site blocks. Pitch however nr the play park was slightly sloping!!!!!.
As for paying through the nose think we spent more than normally would just on drinks and activities for the kids.
Would go back or try another only if we got a good deal and relatively cheaply.