How one minister is responding to climate change

Revd David Callander, minister at Ilkley Baptist Church, writes:-

"A number of us are worried about climate change, albeit that number is less than it should be! I have signed the Climate Coalition Declaration, that Mary Taylor recently publicised on Facebook.

I want to do my bit to slow down climate change, and the obvious starting place for me was my diesel car.  I was initially attracted to the ‘benefits’ of diesel with the plus point of more miles per gallon, and the manufacturers didn’t really stress the negative aspects that affect our world.

So, I made the decision to look for an electric car.  Wow, they are expensive!  I have a Dacia, and the closest electric car to that is the Renault Zoe (same chassis) but that comes in at £30k for the basic version. I could have it on PCP for just £5,100 deposit and £250 per month!

I then spotted an ad from a firm called ONTO (other companies are available….) who offer a car subscription service.  Yes, I would never ‘own’ the car, but do I really need to?  A month by month contract would allow me to ‘ hire’ my car, which includes servicing, tyres, road tax, insurance and, crucially, free charging at any BP, Shell or Instavolt chargers.  I priced up a Hyundai Ioniq, but still expensive at £419 per month, with no deposit.

However, ONTO pointed me in the direction of ‘Salary Sacrifice’, a Government approved scheme that allows you to pay for items ‘pre tax’.  Many will have used it for bikes, but it also extends to fully electric vehicles.

My £419 is deducted from my salary, before tax, which saves me £134 in tax and NI contributions, and in effect reduces my payment down to £285 per month.  Higher rate tax payers would save even more in tax.  When you factor-in I would no longer pay for insurance, servicing and fuel, I would be paying less than I do at the moment, and get a new, green, electric car.  The church would also save £58 per month due to reduced employers NI contributions.  A win for everybody!

This scheme may not suit everyone, as it reduces your ‘taxable income’, which has implications on final salary pensions and mortgage funding, but it works for me.  Just thought I’d let people know about it, as a green electric car, with no emissions, is not outside the realms of possibility despite the high cost!"