Motorists face tax to cross county borders
Motorists in the Westcountry could be forced to pay toll charges and cross-county border taxes as European lawmakers consider a raft of radical measures to deal with climate change.
Plans are currently being drawn up to address the growing problem of transport emissions across Europe and will be outlined in a major White Paper later this year. A report by a climate change consultancy firm this week warns that a mixture of "ambitious and aggressive policy measures" will be required to bring the problem under control.
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The study, by AEA, is the first step towards setting targets for the neglected transport sector, which accounts for 21 per cent of UK carbon emissions. But its co-author, Sujith Kollamthodi, admits little has been done at an EU level to consider rural economies with poor public transport links.
He told the Western Morning News: "In rural areas we recognise it will be difficult to dramatically reduce car use – road pricing is not popular in the UK.
"We are not looking at a tourist tax – but much more work needs to be done and these are important issues.
"It is a balance and we have to consider whether it would help or hinder the rural economy.
"Certain sectors of society rely on their cars and we don't want to force people off the road, but if we want to achieve a 90 per cent cut then radical aggressive measures will be required."
The suggestions have been heavily criticised by motorists' groups.
Peter Roberts of the Drivers' Alliance said: "The costs of pollution and congestion are already more than covered by taxation on motorists in this country. This call for more fuel taxes and road pricing smacks of a cultural dislike of personal transport and the freedom it brings."
A spokesman for the Association of British Drivers said those most affected are those who need their cars because they live in the country or for their work.
"To try and price people off the road is just a way of getting more money out of motorists."
Despite the failure to agree a new climate change target at Copenhagen, the UK remains committed to reducing total emissions by 34 per cent of 1990 levels by 2020, and 80 per cent by 2050.
But to date no target has been set for transport, which in Cornwall makes up the majority of carbon emissions.
Tim German, of Green Cornwall, said the problem with European policy was that "sustainable transport and low-carbon solutions were very urban based".
"That is where you can get the greatest hits by introducing congestion charges," he said.
"But the rural argument needs to be something different and individual transport is going to be required for a long time in places like Devon and Cornwall.
"There will be talk about tourist charges – our emissions are hugely higher in the summer months.
"Other countries have done it successfully and it could be something really small but it is quite tricky to manage a border tax."
Mr German, who doesn't own a car and travels using a council pool vehicle and public transport, said much was being done to provide non-polluting alternatives.
He said the reduction in price of electric vehicles, car sharing, moving freight via the railways and bio-fuel alternatives could all help reduce carbon emissions.
AA president Edmund King said drivers were already choosing smaller and more fuel-efficient cars and driving in an eco-friendly way.
"We don't need artificial taxation to penalise people into doing they are already doing," he added.
The AEA report, undertaken for the European Commission's DG Climate Action between December 2008 and March this year, was launched this week. The 99-page document focuses on the period between 2020 and 2050, which is beyond the time covered by existing EU regulations.
Mr Kollamthodi said the White paper this year would consider if there the need for policy on transport. "If we don't do something by 2050 it will be the only carbon emitter in the economy," he added.








15 Comments
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by David, St Austell
Tuesday, September 07 2010, 3:34PM
“Cameron is not the first to say he will keep British sovereignty. They have all said it since we entered the EEC in 1973 and since then we have steadily lost the ability to govern our own country. 70% of our law are passed in Brussells. How many of those who continually whinge about the EUSSR voted to stay in in 1975. I was not keen on the idea in the beginning and voted to come out but the question was worded in such a way that the government got the result they wanted.”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Sunday, September 05 2010, 6:48PM
“:| The Nightingale is just another of the ground nesting birds under threat, along with the voles and the hedgehogs ever since they let badgers get out of control Tim, and started paying homage to the various raptor populations. . . And I think the answer to your question is probably yes. Certainly we were in the 70s. . The latter deterioration is more to do the very liberal ideas of education now, and lack of any proper discipline I believe. .
Hasn't the weather been pleasant this last week or so. . They've been able to get the harvest in, even if was rather light this year because of the lack of rain earlier.”
by TimV, Pz
Sunday, September 05 2010, 6:02PM
“It's official: Nightingale population down 60%. But then we can live without the nightingale, unlike the car can't we? It is not only the number of vehicles, it is the number each travels. Both have increased exponentially. It is a vicious circle. The easier it is to travel the more we travel and the more travel becomes essential. Cite village and town centres. Cite manufacture and retail distribution. Cite the centralisation of public institutions for which necessary travel becomes even greater and enshrined. Cite unnecessary journeys. The acceptance and nature of "progress" needs to be challenged. Are we really any happier or better off than we were fifty or a hundred years ago when people drove far fewer cars, far less miles?”
by max power, st austell
Sunday, September 05 2010, 5:23PM
“Charles
It appears the UN IPCC have completely screwed up their propoganda for the Anthropological Global Warming agenda but despite this it's full steam ahead under the ''climate change'' banner as it was never about the science which is far from settled, that only mattered to dupe us all. ''Climate change'' is the new political correctness, there have been several calls to make ''climate change denial'' an offense against humanity similar to ''holocaust denial'' until a majority came out as doubters.
But in the ''post democratic age'' it doesn't matter what we think or vote for.
Remember voting for the ''common market'' 35 years ago, now we've got the EUSSR and there will be no referendum now we know the true nature of the beast.
What kind of world will it be for our children in 35 years when the useful idiots have implemented their plan?”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Sunday, September 05 2010, 3:17PM
“:| It's funny Max. . I didn't think I could remember voting for Sujith Kollamthodi or anyone at AEA.
The registered address is:
AEA Technology plc
329 Harwell
Didcot
Oxon
OX11 0QJ
Place of registration: England and Wales
Registration number: 03095862
VAT number: GB 641930839
By all accounts their World Travel and pension arrangements are very good.
http://www.aeat.co.uk/cms/careers/
I forgot. It must be 'jobs for the boys'. 'Common Purpose'.
http://www.aeat.co.uk/cms/careers/
http://www.aeat.co.uk/cms/aea-profile-sujith-kollamthodi/
.”
by max power, st austell
Sunday, September 05 2010, 11:38AM
“"Certain sectors of society rely on their cars and we don't want to force people off the road, but if we want to achieve a 90 per cent cut then radical aggressive measures will be required."
Now that they realise that even the dogs on the street are unimpressed with what I consider, the global warming alarmist myth, they now call it climate change. Can't argue with that, climate always changes regardless of mans input.
A 90% reduction isn't aggressive, it's disasterous. Peak oil and global warming has been bandied around for decades, ever since us commoners had gained the freedom of personal transport and foreign holidays etc.
We all know we're to be taxed off the roads and out of the sky but to what gain will it be?
Corus (Tata) steel went to India where it gains £1.2 billion from carbon credits and will chuck out even more emissions. We're paying to lose our industries to our competitors. In 2007, China was opening 2 coal power stations a week for a target of 550 new coal power stations. It's economy tripled in a decade. As our industry/ emissions are whittled down to leave us with an industrial base and emissions comparable to say, Haiti, we might think that fighting 'climate change' has little to do climate but a lot to do with corporate globilisation and removing our lifestyle and freedom.”
by robert, newquay
Sunday, September 05 2010, 10:53AM
“F**K OFF EUROPE”
by Davey, North Cornwall
Sunday, September 05 2010, 2:46AM
“Re TimV of pz you have got it all wrong. A great many years ago it was calculated that if London's traffic could be horse drawn, the city would be buried in horse emissions to a depth of two metres. Getting enough grass might be a problem too. The real problem is too many people but oddly enough "greens" often have large families. Next question?”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Saturday, September 04 2010, 9:38PM
“:| Tim 30,000,000 cars yes, but they aren't all on the road at the same time. . It's the 'carriage trade' has brought us prosperity and with it previously unknown travel and freedom. .What are you saying? . Only the 'elite' or those with the money, or with helicopters or private planes should be allowed to go where they wish, but the rest of us have to travel 'cattle class' on totally inadequate public transport that can never do the job properly anyway; but only when we are given permission? . I don't know about you, but I haven't bothered going anywhere on a Bank Holiday for donkeys' years. . That's just the choice we make surely. . And we've been telling the cretins that these islands are getting too overcrowded for decades anyway.”
by Fathertime, Grantham
Saturday, September 04 2010, 7:31PM
“When are people going to realise that the EU is run by a cabal of failed Socialist politicians who are intent on creating a Socialist superstate which will make the old USSR look positively benign. Certainly not David Cameron who promised there would be no more reduction of British sovereignty. Why are there no proposals to cut our contributions to the EU budget when all other government departments are facing swingeing cuts.”