Clause 16 - Vans registered on or after 1st march 2001: rates of duty
Finance Bill
10:15 am
Mr Chris Grayling (Epsom and Ewell, Conservative)
I have a couple of quick points to make. I would be interested to know whether the Financial Secretary is considering the extension of the clause in future Budgets. I say that because there is quite an extensive range of emission levels provision for most cars, and we are now seeing significant changes in the van market. As part of a recent Select Committee visit to Japan, I visited the Japanese Electronic Vehicles Association. It had on display the first of what I believe will be quite a substantial market for a new generation of low-emission vehicles that are not yet freely available in this country.
As time goes by, we shall see more alternatives on the market, and more contradictions between relatively high-emission and relatively low-emission vehicles. Although the Government are putting forward a framework for cars that offers a significant range of incentives to purchase different sorts of vehicles, the same is not yet true of the van market. I should be grateful if the Financial Secretary would confirm that the Government might consider adjusting the very simple band structure as the market develops to reflect the broader range of vehicles that will be available.