Fury at ‘Labour’s war on motorists’ as UK drivers face being hit with new tax

Labour has been blasted over its “war on motorists” as Cardiff’s Council considers plans to impose a “Land Rover tax” on owners of bigger cars.

The policy would see large car owners pay more for parking while vehicles of a certain size could even be banned from parking in certain areas. Cars that are highly polluting may also see additional charges under the plans.

The plan has divided opinion in Cardiff, with the Welsh Tory leader saying that Labour’s track record of punishing motorists “rages on”.

Andrew RT Davies MS, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: “Labour’s war on motorists rages on in Cardiff, just as it does in London under Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan. This policy would also be yet another blow to farmers, who often use larger vehicles!

“Instead of busy-bodying with different tiers of parking charges, the Labour Cardiff Council should focus on providing adequate parking across the city. But for Labour, the answer is always more charges for motorists to pay.”

Cardiff University’s Student Union has warned that without parking permit access students risk “facing significant barriers” to both their education and daily lives and “treating them as second-class citizens.”

But the council argues that the policy will “help us manage on-street parking effectively and efficiently.”

Visitor permits will be changed from hourly permits to daily ones. There will also be a yearly cap of 240 days of parking.

Explaining why the plan is being considered, the consultation says: “We have received feedback that hourly permits can be difficult to manage.

“Changing this so each visitor permit lasts a day will be easier for residents. Vehicle registrations on daily permits can still be changed at any time if residents have different visitors throughout the day.”

The consultation is also asking for views on whether larger vehicles, weighing over 2,400kg, should pay more for parking.

The charges have been dubbed a ‘Land Rover tax’ because the Land Rover Discovery Sport is among the vehicles that would exceed the weight limit. Others include the Kia EV9, Hyundai Santa Fe, and Volvo XC60. As things stand there is no information on what specific permits could be hiked.

The consultation adds: “Permit costs are set separately by the council every year as part of our budget process. We are therefore not consulting on permit prices as part of the city parking plan as consultations on permit prices are undertaken when the budget is set.”

The plans come after London Mayor Sadiq Khan has sparked anger with a number of policies that many feel penalise motorists.

The Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) was introduced in London in 2019, charging drivers of non-compliant vehicles in an attempt to improve air quality in the city.

Labour Transport Secretary Louise Haigh was accused of waging a “war on motorists” in August when she backed the rollout of 20mph speed limits and low-traffic zone neighbourhoods. Controversy has also surrounded the rollout of 20mph speed limits in Wales earlier this year.