Yachting and Boating World forums: Devils Advocate

Well at least your argument has some superficial logic to it! :-)

"If Red Diesel were taxed:"
lets assume you mean to the same level as road fuel (its already taxed but at alow rate)

"My solent mooring would get cheaper (supply/demand)"
Probably true - the reason it would get cheaper is that the cruising motor boats would no longer inhabit UK waters at anything like the existing level.

"Marine Engineers would get cheaper" - no not really, many may go out of business yes but if anything there would be less choice and less experience together with less prospect for any new businesses to start. The market would adjust to much lower volumes of business but it would not get cheaper. - if it was possible to get cheaper then that would already be happening. it may well be more expensive and even more fragmented.

"My next twin diesel boat would be cheaper"
No again - if you look at the profits companies like Fairline make as a return on their capital its very poor. Again there would be less choice - the UK would basically have small day trip boats and noone would bother selling into it for crusing boats.

"Huge flybrige boats wouldn't power round the solent almost on the plane swamping me"
True - but far fewer power boats would be there to rescue folks as well. The rude folks who do that would probably take their bad manners elsewhere.

"Boat manufacturers would be encouraged to start making smaller more affordable boats again"
illogical - not true. Today most small power boats are imported and if anything that would rise - the market for cruising power boats would not all go over to small power boats - it would dissapear.

"I'd be able to get a mooring overnight in cowes/poole/yarmouth/wherever more easily"
Probably true.

"Places like Weymouth might start selling Petrol so i wouldn't have to lug cans around".
Nope - if that was economic to do today then it would be done today - there may be small increase in petrol boats yes, but not that much as to make a significant difference.

"Why should I support this campaign?"

Because it would do away with cruising power boats in the UK and would not achieve its objectives in rasing more tax - it would almost certainly raise less tax with the result that you would end up paying more tax to make up the loss!

Now we could do away with other modes of transport - motorbikes - the national health service would save a fortune if they did no exist and as I do not ride one - why should I pay more tax to fix all those that use the NI after a crash?

Or lets make it sailing boats who have significant noise pollution when at berth in any sort of a wind ... its ratlle bang, clank all night! :-)

Whilst we are at it lets tax anything I do not use to the point that tax revenue from it would drop and keep picking on new areas to tax with the end result that we all comply with the EEC and all pay more tax for the privilage. Its a hell of a principle to roll out across many aspects of life ... or just maybe such an approach is impractible, unjust with the result that such an illogical step by government deserves opposition, rather than the spinless MBY approach, and hence just maybe you should, on balance support the campaign! :-)

Paul