A taxing problem

Older people still cannot claim disability living allowance if they become disabled after the age of 65. And this has serious repercussions for the car tax they have to pay, says Helen Smith

In 2007, Gordon Brown promised he would deliver “no discrimination” on the basis of race, gender, disability, sexuality, age or faith. Yet age discrimination in the benefits system is still rife.

People who become disabled after the age of 65 do not qualify for disability living allowance (DLA), so cannot get a car on the Motability scheme.

Although people who become disabled after the age of 65 can qualify for attendance allowance (AA), this benefit can only be used to help with care.

For many years, the charities Help the Aged and the disabled motorists’ charity Mobilise have campaigned for all disabled people, regardless of age, to qualify for the mobility component of DLA – but to no avail.

Douglas Campbell, chairman of Mobilise, says: “Not paying DLA to people who become disabled after the age of 65 flies in the face of the UK government’s own pledge to end age discrimination.”

However, a Department for Work and Pensions spokeswoman told me: “It is normal for benefit schemes to contain different provisions for people at different stages of their lives. DLA was designed to help those people who have the considerable disadvantage of becoming severely disabled relatively early in life so have had less opportunity to earn or save.”

As well as a gateway to the Motability scheme, higher rate DLA also enables recipients to be exempt from road tax/vehicle excise duty (VED). Therefore, older disabled people who do not qualify for this benefit have to pay road tax.

Earlier this year, the government announced that it will be reforming its road tax fees to try and persuade people to buy less polluting vehicles. However, the government has not taken into consideration the fact that disabled people often have no choice other than to drive a larger (and therefore a more polluting) vehicle. For many disabled people, therefore, this new measure will mean paying more tax.

Val and David Wilson wrote to Disability Now, saying: “We believe the proposed increase in road tax for larger cars when needed for the transport of disabled persons and their mobility aids to be discriminatory. We also feel that it is an iniquitous rule that DLA…can only be claimed before age 65. Why? This is discriminating against OAPs who are disabled.”

This is a sentiment echoed by many older people. John Mitchell, a Mobilise member, wrote to me, saying: “Because I became disabled after the age of 65, I am not eligible for the Motability scheme. My current means of transport is a Jeep. Should the new road tax proposals come into force without concessions for people in my position, I shall be forced to declare my car off-road.”

Plans to increase road tax have not just outraged disabled people, but also many other motorists. Because the rises apply to cars already on the road, people feel they are being penalised for decisions they made in the past. Due to the huge public backlash, there is a strong possibility that the government will reconsider its plans. If they don’t, many older disabled people who already have no help with the cost of their mobility will have to bear yet another cost in order to remain independently mobile.

• Helen Smith is director of policy and campaigns for the disabled motorists’ charity Mobilise, and is a member of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee