Motorists in Britain could be charged for every mile they drive on the country’s roads under plans reportedly being considered by the UK government.
According to The Times, chancellor of the exchequer Rishi Sunak is considering the move to make up a £40bn tax shortfall caused by the rise in popularity of EVs.
Road user charging schemes in the UK are currently limited to London’s Congestion Zone, Ultra Low Emission Zone, the M6 Toll in the West Midlands, the Dartford Crossing, and levies on certain tunnels and bridges.
As reported by Metro, Labour, under the leadership of Tony Blair, abandoned a proposed national road pricing scheme amid anger at drivers potentially being charged up to £1.50 a mile. A petition against the plan reached 1.8 million signatures.
However, Sunak is said to be”‘very interested” in the concept of a national road pricing scheme, but it’s as yet unclear how the charges would be calculated.
According to Metro, UK motorists currently pay 57.95p in fuel duty for each litre of petrol and diesel purchased – a figure frozen since March 2011.
This brings in £28bn a year, or 1.3% of national income, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies, while VAT on fuel and vehicle excise duty also raises money for the Treasury.
It has recently been reported a proposed ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars will be moved forward to 2030 as part of the UK’s efforts to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
