Taxing the Way to Fuel Efficiency in the UK

Minister of the Exchequer Gordon Brown has cracked down on on drivers of gas-guzzling four-by-fours, nicknamed "Chelsea tanks" for their inner-city popularity. According to the Guardian, buyers of the most polluting vehicles will have to pay a special rate of vehicle excise duty of £210 annually - an increase of £45 on the previous top band. At the other end of the spectrum, a small number of hybrid vehicles with virtually no emissions will be exempt altogether through a zero-rated car tax. This seems to be a more appropriate approach than the American one, where you actually get a tax break for buying huge SUV that is classed as a "light truck" ::Guardian