摘要: |
Once again the thorny subject of road user charging has been raised in the UK as well as in the US. Charging road users by how far they drive has been suggested before but proved massively unpopular with the public. In addition, the technology would have been prohibitively complex and costly. However, things have changed. The question is not whether road user charging will be introduced, but when. The key issue is one of revenue. Fuel taxation has been used to provide money for transport infrastructure. But dates have now been set for when sales will halt for new cars powered by internal combustion engines in many European countries. The writing is on the wall for fuel taxation as a way of raising revenue that can be directed towards infrastructure spending. |