Letters: Fairer alternatives to motorway tolls

From Mr Laurence Mann

Sir: There is a form of taxation which, in addition to raising revenue for the Government, will discourage unnecessary car journeys, penalise gas-guzzling unenvironmental motor vehicles, spur manufacturers into developing more efficient cars, reduce pollution, and will not have the side-effect of encouraging motorists and commercial vehicle drivers to avoid motorways and use other routes through our towns and villages. Furthermore, there will be no need to spend a penny upon sophisticated monitoring devices and the administration and enforcement of regular bills, and no worries about those who seek to avoid paying.

A commitment to an annual increase in fuel taxes, staged over five years, is surely the most prudent way to proceed.

Sadly, the Government is unlikely to follow this course, as an increase in fuel taxes would affect its inflation index, while a motorway-use tax, although costing just as much to industry and the individual, would not. So, for cosmetic reasons, yet another wrong decision will be made.

Yours faithfully,

Laurence Mann

Twickenham,

Middlesex

1 August