A post by Mozie on BikeChat reads...   "Please can you get all your mates to sign this Downing Street petition?http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/motorcyc...ax/ Changes to the law mean cars emitting less than 100g of CO2 per kilometre travelled would be exempt from paying Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax), while motorcycles are still required to pay. This was outlined by your Chancellor Alistair Darling in his first budget last week, under the auspices of rewarding motorists for driving green vehicles. Despite Darlings aim, the rate of road tax paid by motorcyclists is set to double in 2009, with the annual charge for a typical 125cc commuter bike set to grow from £15 per year at present, to £33 in 2009. This makes a nonsense of the revised rates of vehicle excise duty, as motorcycles tend to emit less CO2 and use less fuel than cars, with the average CO2 output from motorcycles at 110g/km. So why do those who ride greener two wheeled vehicles, use less road space and do not contribute to congestion get penalised whilst 4 wheel motorist whose vehicles use under 100g/km are exempt from road tax .... Makes a mockery of your plan "                                                                                                                                                                             

Signed                                                                                                                                                                              

signed!! get signing. there's only 7000 sigs so far. Make a difference                                                                                                                                                                              

signed                                                                                                                                                                             

Same as that.                                                                                                                                                                             

Oh yes... you're a proper little darling, Darling.

*spits*

*& signs*

;o)                                                                                                                                                                             

Signed                                                                                                                                                                              

Signed and swore at the darling man..........                                                                                                                                                                             

Signed !                                                                                                                                                                               

Well i think if we sent it out in the next newsletter to 14,500 people, if only half of them signed it we'd be doubling the petition!!!                                                                                                                                                                               

Signed   Bloody pillock = Darling                                                                                                                                                                             

We have had this before and back then we were wrong!   This latest "news" about the VED rate for small bikes going up to £33 a year from 2009 stems from a report put out by the Environmental Transport Associations's director, a gent by the name of Andrew Davis.   Now firstly, you have to remember that the name "Environmental Transport Association" is a bit of a misleading one as quite simply the ETA is nothing more than a breakdown and insurance company that uses "green" issues to try and sell cover!   Secondly, Andrew Davis's report on this "news" about motorcycle VED rates has, for some strange reason, been taken off their website!   People; the Budget is for obvious reasons, wholly in the public domain and is perfectly free to view from a number of websites, The Treasury, DirectGov and BBC news.   Alastair Darling has announced that in 2009 VED rates are going to change for CARS.  There is no mention about motorbikes whatsoever except to announce the changes in the financial year 2008-2009, which incidentally confirm that the VED rate for small bikes is to remain the same, it is frozen.   There is nothing in the 2007 Pre-Budget report or the 2008 Budget stating what is going to happen to the VED rates for motorcycles in April 2009.   I am not saying there will not be an increase, but the simple fact is that NO-ONE knows if there will be, let alone what it will be if there is.   We, as motorcyclists, are often are worst enemy, because we always seem to believe bad news and rarely do we check out the evidence for ourselves.   We do it so many times - the "news" about road tax going up for April 2008 even got as far as MCN last year and even they didn't think about checking with the Treasury department, despite the fact that as UK newspaper journalists they could have quite easily just picked up the phone and got a quick interview.  But no, they publish the article, an article which was proven to be totally wrong in April.   And here we are doing it again!!   Please, please, check up on this sort of thing before instantly presuming the worst.  Also, I suggest everyone checks out the Budget report before agreeing whether to send a petition that puts the suggestion of doubling our road tax into a useless Chancellor's mind!!!   Rant over!                                                                                                                                                                             

Signed !                                                                                                                                                                               

Grrr... geoff is correct.   It seems someone misinterpreted the figures... and I usually check these things out myself too but this one went unchecked.   Oh well...                                                                                                                                                                                 

It would seem that Mr Davis has some explaining to do... maybe he needs a visit.                                                                                                                                                                             

plonker!!!got everyone goin till sensible geofry calmed things down!!!bless im!                                                                                                                                                                             

God I F*ckin hate sensible types! pmsl                                                                                                                                                                             

Ooopsie!                                                                                                                                                                                 

haha, well it was fun whilst it lasted                                                                                                                                                                               

Sorry all, didn't mean to spoil the fun .......   Have you heard about the new law coming in requiring you to replace your tyres every week without fail or face a lifetime imprisonment on Mars with nothing to support you other than a mouldy banana and a can of cold baked beans??   Also, to make the point, the government are planning to publicly kill a kitten every time someone fails to change a tyre with a Black and Decker drill.   The demonstrations are to be called "Public Pussy Drillings"