THE owners of more than 55,000 vehicles in South Yorkshire will be hit by the Government's controversial shake-up of car tax, The Star can reveal.
Figures released in Parliament have finally shown exactly how many vehicles in the region bought between 2001 and 2006 will incur higher amounts of Vehicle Excise Duty.
Under the new system, which will come into effect next year, there will be 13 bands ranging from A to M based on carbon emissions.
But the reforms have provoked a huge backlash because they will apply retrospectively and hit the pockets of motorists who bought cars up to seven years ago.
Currently, anyone with a car registered before 2006 which emits more than 186g of carbon dioxide per kilometre pays £210 in VED.
But from next year they will have to fork out between £260 and £440 in tax.
By 2010, owners of the top band of most polluting cars will pay £455.
This means some people owning the highest emission cars could be paying up to £245 more in tax within two years.
The new figures show there were 37,213 cars registered in South Yorkshire between 2001 and 2006 which emit between 186g/km and 225g/km.
These could include popular family cars like the Renault Clio and Citroen C8, which will next year incur between £300 and £415 in road tax.
Another 18,433 vehicles registered in the region between 2001 and 2006 emit more than 225g/km. These could include more fuel-hungry cars such as Jaguars, BMWs and Land Rovers, and will next year be charged between £415 and £440 in tax.
Together, this means 55,646 vehicles in South Yorkshire will be caught in the retrospective tax hike.
Mr Darling has promised concerned backbenchers he will look again at the issue in the Pre Budget Report in October.
A Treasury spokesman said: "The reforms to Vehicle Excise Duty will strengthen the incentive to develop and use cleaner, more fuel-efficient cars.
"While more polluting vehicles will face higher charges, many drivers will pay less as a result of these reforms. Under the 13 new bands of VED, the majority of motorists will be better or no worse off. For 25 of the 30 most popular models of cars, drivers will be better or no worse off.
"The changes are not retrospective.
"As with all changes to VED in the past the increases apply to all cars on the road, not just new cars."
But Justine Greening, a Tory shadow treasury minister, said: "These figures show just how far reaching the impact of these changes will be.
"The people who are being affected by Gordon Brown's plans are people with older cars, people with family cars, people on low incomes, and they are people who can't afford to upgrade to a less polluting car."
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