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By Jim Salkeld

It’s a funny thing this blogging.  From what I have been able to garner from others it seems that I can write about pretty much anything I want as long as there is a loose connection to the subject matter of the publishing journal.  I can even rant apparently.  I’ve never done that before, but now that I have truly reached middle age (I was 55 last month – the new 45 so it’s not that delusional..) I’m allowed.  I’m middle England, married with one daughter (who’s flown the nest), have a flat coated retriever and support the best football club in the land.  I shoot clays competitively, play golf badly and enjoy the odd glass of real ale and/or wine.  My background is banking, finance, IT and 15 years ago I founded what is now Toomey Opticar.  I’m a pretty ordinary chap really, but one who has been involved with cars, taxation and computer solutions since the late ‘70s.

There’s a lot going on at the moment, mostly resulting from the sort of top-down government to which I have an instinctive aversion.  The topic that is right up front with me today though is the HMRC Advisory Fuel Rates that have just been published and will be effective from January 1st.  It’s not the level of them (I’m quite happy with the bases of calculations) it’s just that they don’t fit with the general push to reduce emissions.  Company Car Tax (CCT) is designed to clobber employees with big company cars, and Road Tax (GVED) does likewise for owners.  It’s even proposed that the on-going review of AMAPs (Approved Mileage Allowance Payments) will give better tax breaks for low emissions, rather than making any pretence of meeting business mileage costs.  It all seems a bit discordant somehow. Not joined up.  AMAPs include business fuel but take no account of engine size, and these fuel rates are so roughly banded that the smarter employee can make a decent profit out of them (Honda no longer makes any diesel engine of less than 2.2 litres).  Wouldn’t it be better to have one flat rate of say 14p?  There could surely be no better incentive to drive more efficient cars.
For more information contact Jim Salkeld at Opticar on 01582 518181 or visit www.opticar.co.uk

Toomey Opticar Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Laindon Holdings Limited, and a member of the Toomey Group.