Charges to drive diesels in cities are now inevitable

When the VW dieselgate scandal broke, we predicted that governments, not least our own, would use this as a means of raising taxes on diesel and diesel cars. This would be done under the cover of environmental protection, not raising revenue, of course..

Now The Guardian reports that the High Court ruling that the UK government’s plans to improve air quality are illegal will mean that charges to drive diesels in cities are now inevitable.

We think that this will be a thin end of the wedge; diesel cars, especially on company fleets, have enjoyed favourable tax treatment which is now likely to be reversed. We may also see increased duty on diesel and possibly high RFL rates on diesel cars. If you are about to order a new diesel car, you may want to hold fire until the full extent of deterrents the government plans to put in place are known. Running a diesel car is about to become more expensive and this is likely to mean that values of used diesels will slide. It might be time to go electric…

You can read The Guardian story here.