Britain proposes higher road tax for petrol-guzzling vehicles |
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Tue, 28 Feb 2006 20:05
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LONDON: The British government intends to make owners of 4x4s and other petrol-guzzling cars pay higher road tax to discourage their use. Energy minister Malcolm Wicks said the government is considering road tax of 200 pounds on vehicles that produce more than 250g of carbon dioxide per kilometre, which is an increase of 40 pounds.
The government is also considering giving higher tax breaks for owners of hybrid vehicles like the Toyota Prius and Lexus RX400h, while car companies making greener vehicles will be given incentives, said Wicks. Prius owners already enjoy a subsidy of 1,000 pounds and they are not required to pay the congestion charges in London.
The government wants to cut emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 and road transport vehicles are a major cause for emission of gases that contribute to global warming.
Wicks said in view of these targets, there is need for more than just a series of marginal changes. "There will come a time when it will be irresponsible for those [4x4s] to be on sale."
In spite of adverse publicity for these SUV type vehicles, used mostly in school runs, a record 187,000 such vehicles were sold in 2005.
A spokesperson for Alliance Against Urban 4x4s, Sian Berry, welcomed the higher tax proposal for 4x4s, but said it had to be at a still higher level in order to discourage people buying such vehicles. The alliance wanted higher congestion charges to be levied on such vehicles.
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