Wheeler Dealers' Mike Brewer fears car tax 'loophole' will be axed

Mike Brewer, the host of Wheeler Dealers, has expressed concern that the classic car tax exemption, which he campaigned for, might be scrapped in the near future. The TV presenter is worried that the rolling historic tax exemption rule, which currently allows vehicles over 40 years old to avoid paying Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), could be targeted by politicians.

This exemption also applies to Clean Air Zone charges, including those in London's Ultra Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ), and updates annually, meaning cars from before 1984 are now exempt. Owners of these classic cars can save a significant amount on road taxes compared to modern vehicle owners, but believes this "loophole" may be seen as "ridiculous" by lawmakers and could be closed, the Express reports.

He said: "Give it a couple of years and they will close that loophole as well."

He added: "I fought for rolling tax exemption and it did happen. I know that somewhere in the halls of Westminster. It's ridiculous isn't it, how can you stop me driving into town in a 2013 Mini Cooper and charge me high road tax."

Despite significant interest, a recent Parliament Petition calling for the historic tax exemption to be reduced from 40 years to 20 was rejected by the Government. The poll, which has so far been signed by over 13,000 members of the public, suggested that some classic vehicles could "disappear from roads" if no action is taken.

After surpassing the 10,000 signature threshold for a Government response, the Treasury clarified that there are no plans to make any changes. However, they maintained that a 40-year exemption remains a "fair" threshold for historic vehicles.

They explained: "The Government has no plans to reduce the tax exemption age for classic cars from 40 to 20 years. While the Government keeps all taxes under review, we consider 40 years a fair cut-off date.

They added: "The law does not specifically define a vehicle as historic or classic for registration purposes, and it is widely recognised that there are many factors other than age which influence whether a car is considered as classic."