Another floundering politician tries a bit of bike-bashing? When will they learn it doesn’t work?
The original £1,000 cap was axed six years ago after complaints
But many retailers have realised that some higher earners were taking advantage of the perk and bought bikes costing more than £10,000.
One government figure told the newspaper: “Cycle to work should be about helping ordinary commuters switch to greener travel, not giving tax breaks to high earners buying £4,000 e-bikes for weekend rides in the Surrey Hills. Taxpayers shouldn’t be footing the bill for luxury leisure.”
Sounds reasonable. I’m all for helping people buy bicycles. It’s a great idea. But taxpayers shouldn’t subsidize wealthy families purchasing super-expensive bikes.
But it does work.
The car industry and fossil fuel industry in general know they are heading into a dead end. All their money gets spend with a single goal: to delay, so they can squeeze out the maximum amount of money before it all breaks down.
They don’t care to actually win because they know that’s impossible. But every single guy dissuaded by the constant bashing to buy a bike now and waiting for another few years is a win for them.
Does it work for the politicians? Hidalgo re-elected, Kahn re-elected, to name two. I don’t remember all the bike-bashers who lost because history soon forgets most losers.
Of course it works for them. They get money and nice new jobs… thanks to the people they actually work for.
