To Ramp
Or Not To
Ramp?
To the uninitiated, curb ramps might seem a Good Thing, but not all wheelchairs perform the same on a curb ramp.
While short wheelbases mean most powered mobility devices maneuverable in small spaces, mobility scooters have a longer wheelbase but have manual steering, and most can perform a three-point turn in tight spaces. Manual wheelchairs can turn on their own wheelbase but are difficult to steer on a cross slope as they tend to turn downhill.
In fact for many people with mobility impairments, curb ramps are not critical to access. Indeed in some circumstances curb ramps make navigation more difficult.
For example crutches and canes are sized to fit the individual user to make movement as easy as possible on a hard, level surface. Move to sloped surfaces such as curb ramps and the walker must lower the body forward when going downhill, while on upward slopes, the cane or crutch must be lifted higher and placed on the surface. So when it comes to curb ramps, what might seem the best can sometimes be the enemy of the good.
Shock EU Tax on mobility
Scooters 'Disgraceful'
Says Disabled Man.
A shock new EU tax on mobility scooters has been denounced as "disgraceful".
The World Customs Organisation, which advises governments on import duties, recently issued a document recommending that scooters should be taxed, as they could be used by people without disabilities.
Although many countries, including the US, have rejected the advice, the EU decided to accept it, and has put the scooters in the same tax classification as Formula 1 cars.
Since the scooters were first invented 30 years ago they have been classed as equipment for the disabled, making them exempt from tax. However, the EU, which has the power to set import duties for all member states, intends to enforce a 10 per cent import tax on scooters.
"For many of us with disabilities, a mobility scooter is literally a lifeline, without it we are locked out further from the world around us. To tax the most disadvantaged in society in this way is simply disgraceful,” says Reggie Lane of Lancashire, England.
“This decision by the EU is an absolute disgrace and unfortunately it will have an immediate impact on the number of disabled people who can afford to buy mobile scooters.
"Scooters provide many disabled people in Rochdale with a means of independence. To suggest that scooters are not just for disabled people is ridiculous. Charities, which are already stretched hard in meeting the needs of disabled people will be hit hard by this thoughtless decision.”
His Member of Parliament, Rochdale MP Paul Rowen says, “The 10% charge is nothing more than a direct tax on the disabled. Quite why the EU feels the need to discriminate against disabled people and the charities that support them is beyond me.
I will be writing to the Chancellor Alistair Darling and colleagues in the EU urging them to seek support for member states to get this terrible tax decision reversed.”
Scooters 'Disgraceful'
Says Disabled Man.
A shock new EU tax on mobility scooters has been denounced as "disgraceful".
The World Customs Organisation, which advises governments on import duties, recently issued a document recommending that scooters should be taxed, as they could be used by people without disabilities.
Although many countries, including the US, have rejected the advice, the EU decided to accept it, and has put the scooters in the same tax classification as Formula 1 cars.
Since the scooters were first invented 30 years ago they have been classed as equipment for the disabled, making them exempt from tax. However, the EU, which has the power to set import duties for all member states, intends to enforce a 10 per cent import tax on scooters.
"For many of us with disabilities, a mobility scooter is literally a lifeline, without it we are locked out further from the world around us. To tax the most disadvantaged in society in this way is simply disgraceful,” says Reggie Lane of Lancashire, England.
“This decision by the EU is an absolute disgrace and unfortunately it will have an immediate impact on the number of disabled people who can afford to buy mobile scooters.
"Scooters provide many disabled people in Rochdale with a means of independence. To suggest that scooters are not just for disabled people is ridiculous. Charities, which are already stretched hard in meeting the needs of disabled people will be hit hard by this thoughtless decision.”
His Member of Parliament, Rochdale MP Paul Rowen says, “The 10% charge is nothing more than a direct tax on the disabled. Quite why the EU feels the need to discriminate against disabled people and the charities that support them is beyond me.
I will be writing to the Chancellor Alistair Darling and colleagues in the EU urging them to seek support for member states to get this terrible tax decision reversed.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
