Subnostr

I live in the same area as Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London. He's currently pushing through an extremely unpopular expansion of London's ULEZ (ultra low Emission Zone) that requires non-compliant vehicles to pay around £12.50 per DAY.

There's a caravan parked on a road here emblazoned with text calling Khan a liar, and accusing him of being a dictator. Imo, pretty fair (if hyperbolic) criticism. The liar criticism part is due to the premis that the ULEZ is to prevent children dying - obviously nonsense.

As I was walking by this afternoon I see some counter-protest posters stuck on a few trees. They made me really annoyed, and perfectly represent modern politics: no rational argument for ULEZ, but instead accusing the other protest of "hate speech" 😪

Part of me is hopeful that this ULEZ situation wakes people up more to the overreach of government, and the silly woke arguments that support it.

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Discussion

Creediator 2y ago

The dude is smart but low emissions fee is just a huge tax on common folks. They should subsidize EVs heavily

Gunson 2y ago

How do they fund the subsidy?

More government intervention here is the problem, not the solution.

And the air quality rationale is a hoax. No one dies from pollution in London. I'm lucky to drive a modern petrol car, so the tax isn't coming for me (yet), but it's insane how much of our taxes have gone into installing thousands of cameras across Greater London in the name of a non-existent problem.

Creediator 2y ago

Like they subsidize petrol.

Gunson 2y ago

The UK government subsidises petrol?

I hate to be a source eagle, but ... Source?

Creediator 2y ago

“Most importantly, the UK government had to concede that oil and gas companies may make more from subsidies than they pay in tax. The government had previously denied this fact but, in an unprecedented development, were forced to admit to it in public record in the High Court. “

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/energy/paid-pollute-fossil-fuel-subsidies-uk-what-you-need-know

Pretty much all governments I know give subsidies to oil companies

Gunson 2y ago

Read the article again.

Even this activist website admits these are not really subsidies, but conventional tax breaks that ALL companies get for R&D investment.

You advocated for direct subsidies for electric vehicles by claiming that the UK government already subsidises petrol. It's a weak argument based on no evidence.

Even if it was true, then maybe your argument would be to remove all tax breaks and subsidies for all companies. Not to add even more?

Creediator 2y ago

Dude… it’s literal subsidies not R&D tax breaks. UK has always had oil subsidies to make it affordable for its citizens. They can call it what ever they want. Same with almost all governments.

Gunson 2y ago

The UK has some of the most expensive petrol prices in the world, driven by taxes (opposite of subsidies). Current petrol price is around 60% taxes: https://www.racfoundation.org/data/percentage-uk-pump-price-which-is-tax-page

You're ignoring / denying the basic facts that I'm sharing with you. But also, this is all beside the point 😂

You were arguing for MORE subsidies. This is not the answer, because these subsidies have to come from SOMEWHERE. Where should they come from?

The point is that they come from us, and they'll be spent on waste. The whole case for ULEZ is a hoax. Try to see the forrest, not the trees 🤗

Gunson 2y ago

The article admits that the way they define subsidy is R&D tax breaks ... this is an activist website. They're pretty loose with their definitions.