FOR once I’m not the one ranting. I’m in such a happy place that I have nothing to rant about. All is well in the world. My wife, Anna, is not so pleased. Here’s her rant...
Road tax: I am not complaining about road tax per se. I understand the need for paying it and also quite agree with the system of how much it costs dependant on your car and it’s age. But it does slightly annoy me that if I was wealthy - and able to buy myself a really low emission car - then I would be paying no road tax at all, despite the fact that I would be able to afford road tax. However, such is life.
No, what drives me insane is the different amounts for six months and 12 months. Why isn’t six months road tax, quite straight forwardly, half of 12 months.
I have just paid my road tax for the next six months. I would have loved to have paid 12 months, but various things have prevented me from having the extra amount in my account, and so I have had to only cover my car for half the year. However in doing so, I will eventually pay out an extra £20 this year.
Now this I can’t understand... There must be a small admin fee for rebilling me in six months, however as everything like this it will be computer generated so can’t cost more then £1 to do.
Also, as I pay upfront for the next six months there can be no interest owed. And yet here it is, quite clearly in black and white, to tax my car in two parts over 12 months will cost me an extra £20.
Why? Surely this is another example of the rich getting richer and the poor being penalised again? Could someone from the DVLA explain this.
Imagine if the TV licence was increased by 10 per cent because you pay it quarterly or monthly. The BBC wouldn’t dare, but the government do like to squeeze every last penny.
DOG DIRT: On a very different, but just as annoying, note - dog dirt!!!!! This is a plea to all dog owners - PLEASE CLEAN UP YOUR DOG’S MESS!!!!!
If I walked around Llanymynech, and threw my children’s soiled nappies alongside the footpaths, I would probably be reported and receive a warning and fine for it.
However, it seems that some people who own dogs do not seem capable of carrying a small bag in their pocket in order to pick up after their dog. I walk through our village every day on the school run, and I am permanently dodging dog dirt, and steering my children around it.
I actually confronted a dog owner last week (I really plucked up the courage, and felt very anxious after it).
I was walking with a friend, and our two small children, down the canal path towards the woods, out for an afternoon stroll. Approaching us were three adults, with three big dogs, and I see one of them (the dogs) squat and poo right by the path.
Now we had already artfully dodged about 15 poos so far, so I fix my eyes on the owner willing him to pick it up. He shuffles, side steps, and ignores the offending poo.
I take a deap breath “excuse me, have you got any poop-a-scoop bags?” (sweetly as if I just happen to need one). “Ummmmm” he darts a look at his companions “do you have one?” “No” both the ladies say (both holding leads attached to equally big dogs). “Ummmmm, no” he says. “It’s just” I stumble on feeling quite flappy “we’re avoiding dog dirt the whole way down here, and we’re out walking our children and it’s not pleasant, and also there are nasty diseases...” I waffled on. He just looked embarrassed.