Give us a break! Rising prices and tax driving us round the bend

But look at what we have had to put up with since 1958 when it all started to go wrong.

When we think about buying a new car we are promised by the adverts and sales literature the open road, eternal youth, lots of friends, the respect of other road users, the meaning of life, modernity, no cars when driving in the city and a chance of saving the planet by polluting it less.

But what do we get in reality?

A chance to pay as much tax as can be taxed from a sitting target with the words “please tax me” written on our foreheads.

Surely there should be some extra compulsory categories included on a car’s performance to match our modern realistic expectations? For a start, how much tax will a car attract over a 10-year period at 10,000 miles a year?

There could be five ratings, those costing the least would only have one photo of a highway man pointing a pistol at you, the most expensive five highway men pointing pistols at you.

The other category should rate how comfortable a car is in a two hour traffic jam.

Again five ratings. The most comfortable would display a one bottom symbol, the most uncomfortable would display five red bottoms.

But back to 1958. That year is a fair reflection of the “give” of the motorist and the “take take take” of the government.

Take: 26/03/58, parking tickets are issued for the first time in the UK.

Take: 16/06/58, yellow “no waiting” lines come into force in London.

Take: 10/07/58, first parking meters go on trial.

Bit of give: 05/12/58, the first stretch of motorway is open in the UK, but only five miles long, the Preston by-pass that will become the M6.

And why do the government get away with it? Easy, we need and love our cars.

Peter Steggles, Longnor