4x4 drivers: human, too?

Chancellors rarely boast about raising taxes, and Gordon Brown is no different.

Yet he has made an exception, explaining proudly in a series of interviews this morning that one particular group will have to cough up more thanks to his budget.

What is this marginalised minority? 4x4 drivers, of course.

Tax cuts for some have been financed by higher revenues elsewhere, Mr Brown told the Radio 4 Today programme. "That is why, of course, if you have got a 4x4, you are going to pay more road tax," he said.

Mr Brown identified the same group as budget losers on both BBC Breakfast and Sky News.

But, as the beleaguered four-wheel drive owners point out, not all such models are gas guzzlers of the type being targeted by means of the chancellor's higher levels of vehicle duty for high-emission vehicles.

So why single them out? Because these days, 4x4 drivers are the minority it's ok for everyone to hate. No apologies needed, no caveats given.