In 1997 the incoming New Labour UK government decided to raise some more tax revenue by not allowing the "Tax Exempt - Classic Car" to roll forward.

Since then only owners of classics manufactured up to the end of 1972 have been able to tax their vehicles for £0.00 Vehicle Excise Duty (VED)

If the "rolling" of the exemption had continued, owners of vehicles registered between 1973 and 1986 would have been exempt of VED.

Someone has raised an "E-Petition" to request this be re-introduced.

The E-Petition needs at least 1,000 votes to be considered by the Government - how many classic car owners are there out there owning cars made in 1973 to 86?

You can vote here:http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/183

Please copy this and forward to as many people as you know who might be willing to help themselves or help others with the increasingly expensive business of keeping our motoring heritage on the road.

Claire Green

My bus number (if any): RML 2330 etc

Whilst this might be a laudible aim, it doesn't affect Routemasters and the reason I and many other post on here is because

Its says clearly "Please do not use this board to publicise your feelings about individuals, National or Local Government or TFL policy."

I personally would rather it's kept this way.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960 RMC 1458 RM 1585 and several RTs

Well that's an "I'm all right Jack, haul up the ladder" attitude to take. BMW driver???

This is not really party political, it is democracy and the right for all to be free to petition and request.

It is overdue and I would like to see the rolling heritage class system reinstated but moved to include vehicle from 30 years old onwards. Simply because modern cars can last longer although fewer make it to classic status.

It is unfair at the moment, you can own a 1973 MGB and be exempt or own a 1974 MGB and be liable for full road tax.

Consequently there are less newer classics on the road than older models of the same marque.

Same goes for buses and there are fewer post 73 buses in preservation or likely to be.

God save us from, 'The world ended with the RM brigade'

By the end of 2012 ANY vehicle will have to be 40 years old before it can be recognised as Historic in the UK, not so in the rest of Europe!

Claire :-)

My bus number (if any): RML 2330 etc

No its not I'm all right Jack at all. I have received the E mail 5 times from various interested parties and as I said here and to Claire its a laudable idea and would be advantageous to many classic vehicle owners, BUT this Forum was restarted with the specific proviso as stated above, I am merely pointing out that if you allow one view on government policy to be posted where do you draw the line? IMHO just because its something that people have an interest in and support does not make it any more acceptable than posts for or against Bendy bus withdrawal or High Speed 2 for example.

PS In France we have "Collection" vehicles which are over 25 years old these pay a much reduced initial registration charges and less frequent testing than other buses, however they can only travel to named neighbouring departments.

My bus number (if any): RTL 960 RMC 1458 RM 1585 and several RTs

No comment Brian.

Claire

My bus number (if any): RML 2330 etc

Whatever the merits of the case of this petition, I'd firmly support Brian's view and respect the 'terms of reference' operated by this forum. If you want to air your political views then there's the other channel. After all, it was precisely to keep this forum focused on technical issues that Chris was very careful to frame the terms of reference in the first place.

My bus number (if any): RM1699 Eastbourne Regent V 69 (KHC369)

I can see both sides of this debate. The petition is a very good cause for anyone concerned with the future of bus preservation, or the preservation of any vehicle. For the movement to survive, there needs to be an availability of affordable vehicles for new owners to start off with. Claire has long championed this cause for owners of Bristol LHs for example (BL class) amongst many others. The classic movement suffers from a lack of more modern types such as Bristol VRs, Olympians, Atlanteans and Metros which are all now classics in their own right regardless of how some may turn up their noses at anything which is not a halfcab. Many such types seen at events are less "restored", more in a state of suspended decay, the burden of taxation does nothing to encourage owners to invest serious money in restoration. And before some say that a couple of hundred pounds in RFL is not going to break the bank, this is true, but these days more than ever before, every penny counts.

So while it is correct that it is a "forbidden" topic of government policy, it is also a topic "of relevance to routemaster and owners of other bus types from the '60s and '70s". The fact that Chris has not seen fit to moderate the thread would seem to indicate its relevance. I would encourage Chris to give us all a little guidance on the acceptability of such interesting topics of debate, without the need for setting any precedents. Surely each topic can be judged on its merits, within a set of broad guidelines?

The future of bus preservation depends on such small steps to make it easier for the owners not only of today but also tomorrow.

Surely we have all seen the decline in entrants in the rallies this year? Numbers at events in my area are significantly down this year. Buses and stallholders. The generally accepted reason is fuel prices and lack of money. This partition may go some small way to redress that balance.

My bus number (if any): RM531

If the rules were to change would it mean that the post-1972 vehicles recognised as historic become exempt from the London Low Emission Zone rules as per existing historic vehicles? It would be nice to see Metros and Titans back on the London streets.

My bus number (if any): RM1001

I'd prefer the forum to be a useful resource and don't like it when arguments develop which eclipse the real purpose of this message board.

I understand the feelings of people with historic vehicles that missed the 1972 cut off and sympathise with a friend with an E-type Jag that missed the deadline by one month and two young preservationists locally who are working hard on restoring an ex-LT Titan that will cost £500 a year in road tax.

Without wishing to offend any of the contributors to this thread so far I've decided to lock it. I'm not going to delete it so that the discussion so far and details of the petition remain available.

I'd like to see more information and discussion on the following topics which are a concern to me at the moment. I know that there are experienced forum contributors who will will bew able to help.

What are the CAV fuel injector pump settings for the AV590? One of mine is set up for a Mammoth Major but works really well!

Is worth checking and adjusting the tracking on an RM? The front tyres seem to wear unevenly and end up being relegated to the back.

Does anyone source for the screws that fasten the floor traps, radiator grill and battery panel? I need longer ones for the front two on the gearbox floor trap.

What are the pros and cons of changing old hard cross ply tyres for radials on my GS?

Thanks to all you contributors - you are the backbone of this forum. This is the first thread I've decided to moderate and I don't want to upset any of you.

Chris

My bus number (if any): RMs 238, 471, 2213 & GS17