Apology to motorcyclists welcomed

The Motor Cycle Industry Association (MCIA) has welcomed today’s statement by Edward Leigh MP, chairman of the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC), in which he has apologised to law-abiding motorcyclists.

In January, a PAC report claimed that over 38 per cent of motorcyclists were evading the payment of vehicle excise duty (VED or road tax) – a figure slammed by the MCIA as a gross over-estimate using deeply flawed methodology. The Department for Transport (DfT) was responsible for the survey work that came up with the figure.

Three weeks later it emerged that the DfT’s figures were wildly inaccurate and a new report put the level of motorcycle VED evasion at below 10 per cent. Mr Leigh was forced to apologise.

“The original claim that nearly 40 per cent of motorcyclists were evading VED hit the headlines with very wide media coverage, even though common sense suggested that the DfT had got it wrong,” said Craig Carey-Clinch of the MCIA. “We are delighted that Edward Leigh and the PAC have now set the record straight and we thank them for their continued scrutiny of the issue and the work they have done.”

The MCIA has questioned and challenged the DfT’s methods over several years, submitting a detailed analysis to the PAC in the run-up to the January report. The industry’s concerns have now been vindicated and the MCIA urges the DfT to take account of the PAC’s findings.

Mr Leigh’s statement reinforces the view held by the MCIA and other motorcycle groups that the majority of riders do not evade VED. It is likely that even the latest – much lower estimate – is still wide of the mark.

“We deplore VED evasion, especially as it will often mean no insurance or MOT,” added Carey-Clinch. “Riders who break the law threaten the image of motorcycling so we want to see better police enforcement on the road, not only to combat VED evasion, but also to tackle poor and dangerous driving and riding, along with the menace of defective vehicles.”

The MCIA is also calling on the DfT to work far closer with the industry when conducting surveys into motorcycling, in order to avoid repeat problems in the future.