Tax, tax and more taxes. Everywhere you look there are taxes. EV owners have had a welcome break from VED over the last few years, but that’s about to change soon with a new taxation system for vehicles.
Toll roads are under serious consideration as a way to claw back fuel duty revenue losses, caused by the transition to electric vehicles.
Downing Street is concerned about the money it is losing from VED and fuel duty because of the transition to electric vehicles. Free VED and no fuel duty has created an annual deficit of £35bn, which the Government must clawback.
Pay-per-mile is a popular idea with policymakers, effectively making everyone pay for the miles they drive. It means people who drive for a living will pay more than those that drive very little in a system that promotes alternative modes of transport.
However, toll roads are a popular idea. Currently, the M6 toll road is the only major road with tolls, although they are very common in other European counties. For instance, over a quarter of all traffic in France uses toll roads.
According to The Times, the Government is considering toll roads “very seriously”, with the idea gaining support among policymakers.
The introduction of toll roads across the UK would require significant spending on infrastructure and new highways design, burdening the taxpayer with huge costs. However, they would claw this investment back within a few years.
Whichever way vehicle taxation goes, one thing is clear – driving an electric vehicle is about to get more expensive.
More taxes are inevitable. Strap yourselves in.
