Taxing the disabled
With the proposed changes to the Blue Badge scheme, it is now going to cost you £20 to get and renew your new Blue Badge.
This is maximum charge possible, and given the magnificently overblown and complex plan to stop 'fraud', that cost is bound to increase dramatically in future years.
Of course, the real problem is actually cars with Blue Badges being driven and parked by able bodied relatives (just go to Tesco or the Co-op and see what I mean) rather than forged badges.
FFS, due to a missing Traffic Warden in Stornoway we can't even enforce parking violations or use of the car park without either paying or displaying. In the islands, these badges are not going to be enforced, except in the rarest circumstances, which makes it nothing more than a tax on the disabled.
Based on 1,110 users in the islands and a pass through charge of £4.60 plus VAT, perhaps the Comhairle can find the estimated £6,100 required to keep this scheme free for the islands.
Following on from an earlier post, will the emasculated 18* SNP hopefuls say anything to John Swinney to try and exempt disabled islanders from this ludicrous tax?
Ta to H for the tip-off.
* Yes, I know that might be unfair, but get used to it; you're going to get worse.
This is maximum charge possible, and given the magnificently overblown and complex plan to stop 'fraud', that cost is bound to increase dramatically in future years.
Of course, the real problem is actually cars with Blue Badges being driven and parked by able bodied relatives (just go to Tesco or the Co-op and see what I mean) rather than forged badges.
FFS, due to a missing Traffic Warden in Stornoway we can't even enforce parking violations or use of the car park without either paying or displaying. In the islands, these badges are not going to be enforced, except in the rarest circumstances, which makes it nothing more than a tax on the disabled.
Based on 1,110 users in the islands and a pass through charge of £4.60 plus VAT, perhaps the Comhairle can find the estimated £6,100 required to keep this scheme free for the islands.
Following on from an earlier post, will the emasculated 18* SNP hopefuls say anything to John Swinney to try and exempt disabled islanders from this ludicrous tax?
Ta to H for the tip-off.
* Yes, I know that might be unfair, but get used to it; you're going to get worse.
2 comments:
You,re absolutely spot on about the abuse of these badges. I recently got one for my mother who is 86. She should have had one earlier but she didn't want to disadvantage anyone because she thought she was reasonably ok to walk a short distance.
I never display the badge unless she is in the car.
Sadly far too many drivers ignore this and use them whether the disabled person is present or not.
I would however add a word of caution - people do genuinely have these badges although the disability may not be obvious
Got to pay for their supped up "motability" cars somehow!
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