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Should Drivers Pay Road Tax?

by Cycloid
Sat, Apr 09, 2022 14:18
32

This week we were treated to the spectacle of an EV driver, who I suspect has a fairly low IQ, telling us that cyclists should pay road tax.

As cyclists we are entitled to ask the reverse question - Should drivers pay Road Tax?

With the move away from hydrocarbon to electric powered vehicles fewer drivers are paying VED and the Chancellor is reaping a smaller revenue from the motoring population. The first criticism of motorists towards cyclists is the Free Rider Charge, "They don't pay for using the roads". We now have the same situation with motorists, an increasing proportion of drivers are not contributing fairly towards the roads which they use.

The solution could be simple - bring back Road Tax.

All drivers will pay VED on a sliding down to zero, along with Road Tax. Clearly, reading the Road CC blog, there is a lot of nostalgia amongst motorists for this much loved tax, and it would welcomed with open arms as a fair solution to the problem.

The Road Tax component could be earmarked for road improvements, as the recent hike in NICs is earmarked for NHS catchup. Remember not to talk about "Road Maintenance" in this context, our roads are not fit for purpose and getting worse. Maintenance implies keeping the Status Quo.

When a drivers receive a Road Tax bill they will be reminded that it does not give them any special rights to use the roads and that they must respect the vulnerable road user hierarchy.

Job done - Simples!

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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32 comments

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hawkinspeter replied to Rich_cb | 2 years ago
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Rich_cb wrote:

Personally I think we'll have widespread driverless taxi services within a decade so charging tax per mile will become far easier.

Taxing per mile gets trickier when there's still old cars knocking around. Maybe the easiest way is to put up ANPR cameras on most roads - it's exactly the kind of surveillance tech that'll be some politician's wet dream.

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nickprior replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
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There's no need for much new technology to solve this. We already have a mechanism for checking vehicles on an annual basis - MOT

So, every vehicle will need to be covered by an annual voucher. You go to your MOT centre (or go online) and pay for a voucher for the year. The price might vary by predicted miles, power unit, vehicle weight/axles, and possibly location of keeper's address (for those rural drivers whose mileages are necessarily higher)

The following year, you go back to the MOT Centre who validate your year's mileage and sell you a top up voucher for excess miles, and a further voucher for the next year.

Opportunities for drive-thru mileage checking booths. We could give it to Capita to run!  (Joke already...)

Eventually car makers will interface the odometer with the billing system so the whole thing could be done online. No need to know where people have been driving in detail. Call it Motorised Vehicle Duty, job's a good'un!

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