Road charging

towel401

There was a thread about this on the English version of boards a while back, but I couldnt find any over here.

Any chance they will introduce something like the schemes proposed in England over here soon? These systems involve mandatory GPS tracking devices that send details about where and when you drive to a back office over a mobile phone network so they can send you the bill. While I havn't found any mention of it yet the current government with the green party and all heavily favours anti-car legislation.

To me it just seems like an attempt to keep their 'per mile' charge that you now pay in the form of fuel tax after the rush for electric cars and plug-in hybrids. It could possibly be used to send speeding fines sent by the in-car device that must be fitted in every car. It doesn't bother me if its optional and you can still opt for the ordinary road tax. If people trust the government enough to track them, and they don't drive a lot its probably worth it for them to sign up to a scheme like that.

They are planning to have this sort of system in Holland (a terrible country to drive) by 2011. In england it keeps being brought up, which usually means that the government has already decided it's going to happen.

FGR

In all cases the Irish adopted version of this system will be introduced as a tax -on top- of all current taxation in relation to the use of vehicles on our roads.

I've paid four different types of Tax for using my vehicle in this passed year; I'd rather not have another one.

ART6

Given my deep distrust of, and intense dislike of, politicians as a breed, I have no doubt that if such a scheme is introduced in the UK, our snouts in the trough will want to bring it into Ireland. It will, of course, be a CO2 minimisation measure in protection of the environment. Gormley will see it as a means of getting cars, with the exception of his ministerial limo, off the road. Actually it will be another stealth tax applied with the intention of getting greedy little paws into your pocket yet again, to provide funds that can continue to be squandered in wildly over budget schemes, pet projects, and infantile ideas. In any case, the idea of government knowing my every movement every day fills me with alarm. If a tracker is ever fitted to a car of mine it will be ripped out and driven over within the first ten minutes.

The only way of dealing with the threat is to email or write to your local TD making it very plain that if such a scheme is proposed and he supports it, you will do everything in your power to ensure that he joins the dole queue after the next election:mad:.

cyclopath2001

ART6 wrote: »

In any case, the idea of government knowing my every movement every day fills me with alarm. If a tracker is ever fitted to a car of mine it will be ripped out and driven over within the first ten minutes.

Better switch off your cell phone then.

Agreed about the problem of more taxes being piled on top of existing ones. What's really needed is a fair 'pay-per-use' scheme that takes account of the amount of road space consumed. Combined with a more reliable way of detecting some dangerous driving behaviours than we have at present, it could have a positive effect on traffic and safety.

peasant

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

What's really needed is a fair 'pay-per-use' scheme that takes account of the amount of road space consumed.

I just paid 400 and something euro in road tax which buys me a ten kilometer commute on narrow, potholed, partially flooded, lossely gravelled mucky roads that destroy any car.

Bring on a pay per use scheme ...I'm due money back for years to come

cyclopath2001

peasant wrote: »

I just paid 400 and something euro in road tax which buys me a ten kilometer commute on narrow, potholed, partially flooded, lossely gravelled mucky roads that destroy any car.

Other than tolls, we don't have road tax in Ireland.

A pay-per-use scheme would need need to be coupled with local tax administration so that areas with high population or high volumes of traffic passing through (and hence more wear and tear) get pro-rata funds to maintain their roads.

Insurance charges could be coupled to the data as risk-analysis techniques could be applied to the driving behaviour and mileage, offering calm, low-mileage drivers a personally-adjusted rate.

Marcus.Aurelius

cyclopath2001 wrote: »

Other than tolls, we don't have road tax in Ireland.

Then there's a lot of penalty points I should never have issued.

A pay-per-use scheme would need need to be coupled with local tax administration so that areas with high population or high volumes of traffic passing through (and hence more wear and tear) get pro-rata funds to maintain their roads.

Administered by a crowd who spend billions on a tunnel too low for the trucks that were supposed to use it. If that idiot Gormless wanted to tax us per mile, he should have moved road tax onto petrol, where people who do lots of mileage in big thirsty cars would have paid through the nose, as is fitting, whereas the lower mileage crowd with the big car pay a justifiably smaller amount. It's utter stupidity and greed at its lowest form in its current guise.

Insurance charges could be coupled to the data as risk-analysis techniques could be applied to the driving behaviour and mileage, offering calm, low-mileage drivers a personally-adjusted rate.

Again, with the insurance companies greed netting them incredible profits the last few years, they really shouldn't be given yet another excuse to financially sodomise you again.

cyclopath2001

Chief Admiral wrote: »

Then there's a lot of penalty points I should never have issued.

Incurring penalty points and fines is voluntary.

Chief Admiral wrote: »

Administered by a crowd who spend billions on a tunnel too low for the trucks that were supposed to use it.

Hmm, don't trust the public sector.

Chief Admiral wrote: »

Again, with the insurance companies greed netting them incredible profits the last few years,

Hmm, don't trust the private sector.

What to do?