ReindeR RustemaThe Dutch version of The Onion with a piece about a Dodge RAM owner moaning about €200 to refuel.
MrAndrewDDitto the Australian version "The shovel".
https://theshovel.com.au/2026/03/18/dickhead-with-ute-taller-than-himself-not-so-smug-about-it-now/
Peter Brown@MrAndrewD @rrustema020 @notjustbikes that vehicle should not be allowed on the public road. It’s a child killer.
Thankfully it would not be allowed to be sold I n the EU
Dave Neary@peterbrown @MrAndrewD @rrustema020 @notjustbikes I think they're legal in the EU. Expensive to fill up, heavily taxed, difficult to park, a bit wide for the roads, but street legal.
@dneary @peterbrown @MrAndrewD @notjustbikes And recently I found out that small business owners use the costs of such a monstertruck as a way to bring the profits of their one man company down so they are taxed less.
They need a car for their tools and materials anyway and now they get more pleasure and status out of it.
Their job by itself gives less of that? And they like to Dodge taxes just like their big hero entrepreneurs?
@rrustema020 @dneary @MrAndrewD @notjustbikes I have often suggested disallowing cars, small vans, petrol and diesel against tax, and allowing all public transport fares against tax. It could cause a surprising amount of modal shift, especially amongst higher-rate taxpayers.
And it would remove the incentive to buy these monsters.
And it would remove the incentive to buy these monsters.
@peterbrown @dneary @MrAndrewD @notjustbikes
With disallowing those against tax you mean that they can't be used as costs to reduce taxable profits?
Not a native speaker, and not tax savy, so I don't know 'against tax' as an expression.
@rrustema020 @peterbrown @MrAndrewD @notjustbikes Businesses have costs, and those costs of doing business are deduced from gross revenue - taxes are paid on profits, not revenues. Business owners sometimes spend money from their profits on nice things that they don't strictly need, in order to reduce taxable profits, as long as they can claim the nice things as legitimate business expenses.
@rrustema020 @peterbrown @MrAndrewD @notjustbikes Every country has rules about what you can claim as legitimate business expenses - clearly gas and diesel for delivery vehicles and work vans is a legitimate business expense, but things like nice trucks, computers, etc. are often fully deduced from the gross while the company could fulfill the functional need with something cheaper.
@dneary @peterbrown @MrAndrewD @notjustbikes Right, I understand you correctly now.
And I can think of something like the size, shape and weight of a category of cars similar to the Mercedes Vito as legit for a business.
The rear windows should be blinded etc.
@rrustema020 @dneary @MrAndrewD @notjustbikes I would disallow anything that can be driven on an ordinary car licence, and only allow vehicles that require a professional licence.