New Proposed Road Charges
New plans unveiled by the government could see an end of road tax and a huge reduction in petrol costs on the UK roads. The new plans could see a reduction in petrol costs of up to 47 pence per litre and wipe out road tax costs all together which can cost the motorist as much as £160 per year.
However before we all start rejoicing maybe you should read the whole story in order to see why the government is willing to waiver the billions it makes in petrol duty and road tax charges.
The new plans outline a scheme which could be piloted in the UK with in the next four years that aims to charge the motorist per mile of their journey. Figures that have been discussed over the past weeks include a 2 pence per mile charge for rural routes rising to a staggering £1.30 per mile on major routes.
The scheme that is designed to reduce congestion on the roads has been met with amazement and anger by the motoring community. Many believe that the saving of up to 47 pence per litre of petrol with the abandonment of petrol duty and the saving of up to £160 per year on road tax is undermined by the charges to be imposed on some roads.
The rural population is understandably very agreeable to the proposals which could equal dramatic yearly motoring savings with a 2 pence per mile charge. However commuters that use major routes to get to work and back are understandably angry at the prospect of a dramatic increase in yearly road costs.
At £1.30 a mile for major routes during peak times the new proposals could see a commuter travelling a 40 mile round trip per day on motorways paying £52 per day. This charge equates to £260 a week and over £13,500 a year which for almost all workers is an unrealistic cost.
The government must use common sense if they have any and realise that these proposals are unrealistic and will be met with fierce opposition. With the high costs of car insurance these costs would further increase motoring costs and create associated problems that could be catastrophic to the UK economy.
