Is it a right or is it a privilege to have a car ?

If VED was added to the price of petrol then I believe people would think twice about using a car for short journeys, Oliver what is your view on VED added to fuel prices?

I'd think that petrol prices are too variable for this to have any reliable effect.

Let's say you try and recoup £265 (VED band J) from someone who drives 10,000 miles a year in a car that does 40mpg.

10,000/40 = 250 gallons = 1136.52 litres

£265 / 1136.52 = 23p per litre price increase

That's less than the recent drop in fuel prices due to the games the Middle East are playing trying to kill off fracking.

It'd be political suicide for a single party to try and bring that in. Whatever amount you add to fuel you're going to piss off a large number of people who'll end up paying more than they did before because they drive more than the average person.

VED as a separate lump sum that needs to be paid once a year serves as a useful checkpoint for drivers (most notably to get Insurance/MOT sorted once a year). It also makes people look at their choice of car and decide if something less polluting (and in a lower VED band) would be a better idea.