Edward Leigh MP apologises to motorcyclists over road tax evasion
19 June 2008
The Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCIA) has welcomed today's statement by Edward Leigh MP, chairman of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC), in which he has apologised to law-abiding motorcyclists.
In January, a PAC report claimed that over 38 per cent of motorcyclists were evading the payment of vehicle excise duty (VED or road tax) - a figure slammed by the MCIA as a gross over-estimate using deeply flawed methodology. The Department for Transport (DfT) was responsible for the survey work that came up with the figure.
Three weeks later it emerged that the DfT's figures were wildly inaccurate and a new report put the level of motorcycle VED evasion at below 10 per cent. Mr Leigh was forced to apologise.
"The original claim that nearly 40 per cent of motorcyclists were evading VED hit the headlines with very wide media coverage, even though common sense suggested that the DfT had got it wrong," said Craig Carey-Clinch of the MCIA. "We are delighted that Edward Leigh and the PAC have now set the record straight and we thank them for their continued scrutiny of the issue and the work they have done."
The MCIA has questioned and challenged the DfT's methods over several years, submitting a detailed analysis to the PAC in the run-up to the January report. The industry's concerns have now been vindicated and the MCIA urges the DfT to take account of the PAC's findings.
Mr Leigh's statement reinforces the view held by the MCIA and other motorcycle groups that the majority of riders do not evade VED. It is likely that even the latest - much lower estimate - is still wide of the mark.
"We deplore VED evasion, especially as it will often mean no insurance or MOT," added Carey-Clinch. "Riders who break the law threaten the image of motorcycling so we want to see better police enforcement on the road, not only to combat VED evasion, but also to tackle poor and dangerous driving and riding, along with the menace of defective vehicles."
The MCIA is also calling on the DfT to work far closer with the industry when conducting surveys into motorcycling, in order to avoid repeat problems in the future.
Edward Leigh MP's full statement is as follows:
"I apologize to motorcyclists and wish to offer an explanation. They have been concerned over the Public Accounts Committee findings (published in January 2008) on evasion of road tax in 2006-07 which were based on national statistics provided by the Department for Transport. The Department did not, however, give us all of the information we needed. It did not make the Committee aware at our hearing last year that a new, more accurate methodology was already being used to produce estimates of rates of road tax evasion for the year 2007-08, nor that it could have implications for the accuracy of the previous year's estimates upon which the Committee had to rely. I am writing to the Department to seek an explanation."
The Motorcycle Action Group (MAG) also welcomed the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts' special report on motorcycle Vehicle Excise Duty evasion. Claims by the DfT and DVLA that the rate of motorcycle VED evasion was as high as 38% prompted politicians and the media to brand motorcyclists as law breakers, some reports proclaimed that half of all motorcyclists were criminals.
MAG, working with other motorcycle interest groups, challenged the figures as obviously incorrect. This was subsequently proved to be the case earlier this year when DfT admitted that the actual level of VED evasion was less than10%.
Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Edward Leigh MP, said it was one of the most serious issues the committee has had to deal with. Mr Leigh issued an unreserved apology to motorcyclists after hearing HM treasury admit incompetence and the DfT express regret at the embarrassment caused during the committees' recent special enquiry.
MAG Campaigns Manager, David Short, said "MAG applauds the vigilance of members of the Public Accounts Committee in helping to correct this misrepresentation of Britain's million-plus motorcycle users. It is now clear that the vast majority of motorcyclists are ordinary law abiding citizens who should not have had to put up with being branded criminals.
MAG challenged the basis of official estimates which resulted in the second, special enquiry. Official figures often give a distorted view of motorcycle users and this results in riders getting a poor deal. MAG will keep fighting to make sure motorcycle users are no longer misrepresented".