Letters / Please explain, Danus
Can Danus Skene explain exactly why ferry fares to and from Aberdeen would be more expensive if RET is introduced on the route?
The 60p per mile figure that the SNP/Scottish government is using as a basis of calculation for the cost of RET is ludicrous, as it includes depreciation costs of buying your car from new, something I have never done for the last 40 years to avoid depreciation!
So let’s get rid of depreciation from the equation.
What remains are things like fuel, taxation, maintenance, insurance, but the greatest of these is fuel.
Now my old Swedish brick is a 15 year old, 2.5 litre, five cylinder diesel, but according to the AA tables, average mileage cost for any vehicle would be about 18p per mile.
Granted, a fraction more for petrol and a fraction less for diesel power, but averaging, and for a 10,000 miles a year car, about 18p per mile.
At 18p per mile the cost of getting my car about 210 miles to Aberdeen with RET should be £37.80 which is considerably less than the current cost of £146 in peak season.
Can Danus explain why it has not proved possible to introduce Road Equivalent Tariff on this route, or perhaps point out an error in my calculations?
The AA mileage calculation tables are all accessible on line (here).
Leslie Lowes
Walls
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