"Dave Arquati" wrote in message
...
Mark wrote:
"Frank X" wrote in message
...

Surely you can see the benefit of taxing the
rush hour traffic more?


Why, when it won't do anything to reduce the congestion that the
government has deliberately created with bus lanes, retimed
traffic
lights, etc?


Particualarly if it makes the traffic move more
freely.


Why would it, when the government won't spend money to improve
roads,
but do spend money to make them worse? Congestion has increased
massively in the last ten years, while traffic has increased
little...
it's not our fault, and 'congestion charges' are just another
excuse
to levy another tax on us.

Actually traffic increased by 15.1% from 1991 to 2001, from 411.6 -
473.7 bn vehicle kilometres (figure for all vehicles, source: DfT).
Unfortunately comparative congestion figures are harder to find.

On the other hand, the number of journeys made has not increased
particularly; it's just that journeys are becoming longer and a
number
of journeys previously performed by foot or cycle have been
transferred
to the car, resulting in the increase in vehicle km.

I mean is it fairer to tax someone extra for working hard and
contributing
to the economy


No. So why do you want to tax tax-slaves who are merely trying to
get
to work to pay our huge tax bills?


It always amazes me how the public are willing to stomach taxes
like income
tax and NI, but go mental at the things they actually have to pay
like Poll
Tax, Fuel Tax and Congestion charging.


We don't stomach them: but, as the government is aware, there's a
big
difference between them stealing money from you through your
employer,
and stealing money from you directly in this way. I never see the
income tax money in my bank account, so it's less directly
annoying
than having to physically pay them money... and money that's
already
been taxed at 40%, at that.

Theoretically it would make more sense to tax based on what
resources
need to be limited, rather than you working harder and contributing
more
to the economy. I think that's what Frank was saying.

'Tax and spend' is all that Labour know how to do, and they'll use
any
excuse to do that. The people who believe that taxing motorists
will
actually reduce congestion are merely their 'useful idiots'.

Mark

Taxing motorists in the right way would make things fairer.
Usage-based
taxation is a step in the right direction; environmental tax reform
would probably be the right direction. (See
http://www.green-innovations.asn.au/ecotax.htm) Such a system could
naturally resolve congestion and restore some sense of balance in
the
transport system.

--
Dave Arquati
Imperial College, SW7

We don't need another tax to add to our vastly complicated tax
system. The only fair tax is on income (single % rate for all, varied
by annual public referendum). All other taxes should be abolished.
Only then would all of us (rich and poor) see the true cost of
government, and vote accordingly.
If congestion is a problem, let the free market influence people
to find alternative routes and modes of transport. If polluting the
environment is a problem, then legislate targets for fuel economy and
emissions at manufacture, like they do in the USA (albeit
non-aggressively).
I just don't think all problems can or should always be solved by
government intervention.