I've just re-taxed the Landy. Its current engine is a 2.5L TDi, but it usually does less than 1000 miles/year. Tax: £225. The whole 'low emissions' thing annoys me as a consequence!
There should be some measure of use in vehicle taxation, and it's probably best put on fuel or road tolls, even though I don't like the idea. The trouble is, it's too low for commercial vehicles. Yes, I know hauliers complain, but cheap fuel has driven freight off the railways, to the detriment of everyone's quality of life and small businesses.
We live in a prosperous suburb of Bristol. My wife is just about to do a 9 mile round trip to Asda, because it's slightly cheaper than Waitrose, literally round the corner (before you ask, there's no point in me arguing about it!). She'll use around 0.75litres of fuel, probably about £1.20 of car expense overall and 1/2 hour of her time travelling (against 8 mins. walking to Waitrose and back).
There's a pair of ruts worn in the slow lane of the westbound M4 from the M25 to Pembrokeshire (it's worst on the English bit). This is from long haul freight lorries that come here from France en route to Ireland. They don't fill up here as they have long-range tanks, nor pay other than Severn Bridge tolls (some even drive round, and anyway they only pay one-way!).
Motorway carriageway repairs are
£70,000/lane/mile (2007), not including disruption costs to traffic, so that's a lot of revenue we need but aren't getting.
If freight was charged sensibly, and car mileage was too, distribution would be out from the railheads, and Asda would be more expensive, resulting in fewer vehicle miles, and a walk to the shops for us. And I think charging foreign hauliers is long overdue.
E.
Edit: I had the wrong number above: road repairs were per
mile not km.
That means just resurfacing the English bit of the M4 from the M25 west would be £7-10m though!
