Ahhh.
Posted on 11/16/2006 12:11:53 AM PST by bruinbirdman
A pay-as-you drive scheme moved a step closer yesterday with the inclusion of plans for pilot road pricing regulations in the Queen's Speech.
The Department for Transport refused to rule out the possibility of motorists with gas-guzzlers paying more than those with more environmentally friendly cars.
Regional trials will start in five years and the Government hopes to have a national scheme, with drivers possibly paying up to £1.34 a mile to drive on the busiest roads in rush-hour, in place by the middle of the next decade.
The reluctance to rule out differential rates was seen by motoring groups as a shift in policy by Douglas Alexander, the Transport Secretary.
He is an ally of David Miliband, the Environment Secretary, and both are regarded as the "greenest" members of the Cabinet. Ministers have indicated support for moves by two London councils to impose higher charges on drivers of four-by-fours and other high-powered cars.
The Queen's Speech singled out tackling climate change and the threat from terrorism as the legislative priorities for Tony Blair's final session as Prime Minister.
According to No 10, global warming was the "greatest political challenge of our generation", and a new Bill will give legal backing to the Government's target to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 and set up a panel to monitor progress.
The Speech set out 29 measures ranging from raising the pension age to 68 over the next 40 years and scrapping jury trials in serious fraud cases. There will be moves to strengthen border controls, prevent illegal working, curb loutish behaviour, push ahead with ID cards and provide free off-peak travel for over-60s and disabled people on local buses in England and Wales.
In the Commons, Mr Blair acknowledged that he was on his way out and gave his most explicit endorsement yet for Gordon Brown to lead Labour into the next election.
With the Chancellor sitting beside him, Mr Blair told David Cameron, the Tory leader, that the poll would be a "flyweight versus a heavyweight" contest.
Labour MPs roared their approval as the Prime Minister claimed that Mr Cameron would soon come within reach of a "big clunking fist" and would be the fifth Tory leader to be carried out of the ring as Labour won a fourth term.
Mr Cameron said Mr Blair used the "politics of fear" to hide his failure. "The tragedy of this Prime Minister is that he promised so much and delivered so little," he said.
Just force everyone to ride bicycles...
And go bankrupt...
Then all their CO2 problems will be fixed...
suits me...I dont drive.
Don't the "Gas guzzling" SUV drivers pay more in petrol taxes already than more fuel efficient cars? Isn't this adding an extra burdon on these car owners?
That could add pretty quickly.
I propose a tax on stupid people. Of course, people who vote Dem in the U.S. and for Labour in the U.K. will be hardest hit.
I am getting to think that the cure for both the US and the UK is to give the people what they think they want, and lots of it.
I thought that was the whole point of buying fuel.
'suits me...I dont drive.' I hope their next move is to ban alcohol and tobacco - I mean I don't drink or smoke so screw anyone else it affects. . . . .
Whoops - missed [sarc] off the end!
'A pay-as-you drive scheme...
I thought that was the whole point of buying fuel.'
I believe the intention is/was to remove vehicle excise duty (car tax) and reduce the duty on fuel, so most tax associated with driving was then paid on a per mile basis, rather than in fuel or direct car tax. The problem for these idiotic, short-sighted socialists is that if petrol suddenly becomes cheaper and I pay by the miles driven I have absolutley no incentive to drive an economical car. I can pay £1.34 to drive a mile in a Yugo or in a Bentley. Complete twats the lot of them.
Of course it's all irrelevant because they will all be in opposition before they have chance to enact their ill-conceived and increasingly desperate stabs at green legislation.
Hehehe...yeah. Agree completely!
I dont smoke or drink alcohol either, so that suits me too.
I dont give a toss about your sarcasm. Cars tear up and down my town, treat everyone else who uses the road as vermin, pollute up the air...yeah let em pay for it.
You don't have to put up with that nonsense! Do what some of my buddies on an indian reservastion did...cut down a tree across the road and charge a 5 dollar fee to let people pass! That will fix the problem. Till you're in jail anyways.
England is a very "global warming aware" country. Just returned from there. As I understand it there will be more taxes imposed, "green taxes".
They should do as Italy does, there motorbikes are more prominent than cars and small mini cars are used more than compacts, not to many SUV's or vans except to carry us tourists and our luggage.
Simply amazing the lengths that politicians will go to.
Tackling climate change, wonder how she thinks that can be done. The sun is just a tad hard to control.
"Cars tear up and down my town, treat everyone else who uses the road as vermin, pollute up the air...yeah let em pay for it."
There is nothing more satisfying than forcing a bicycle into the ditch while belching large quantities of greenhouse gasses from my truck. It's an elitist thing. I can afford the gas, while you can't. It makes me smile.
But you aren't vermin/roadkill, as you always seem to be able get out of my way, so I don't mind sharing the road with you as long as you understand those rules.
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