Motorcycle Excise Duty

HC Deb 23 April 2001 vol 367 c185W

Mr. Blizzard

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what factors underlay his decision to raise motorcycle excise duty by £5. [158407]

Mr. Timms

The Chancellor announced in Budget 2001 that rates of vehicle excise duty for motorcycles would be frozen until at least 2002.

Budget 2000 announced that the general rate of vehicle excise duty for cars would rise by £5 to £160, but deferred the increase until 1 March 2001. Alongside this, the rate of vehicle excise duty for motorcycles with engines over 400 cc rose by £5 per annum. This was the first increase, since the Government were elected, for motorcycles of this engine size. There was no increase in vehicle excise duty for motorcycles below 400 cc.