THE BVRLA has welcomed the Transport Select Committee’s call for urgent progress to be made on the future of road pricing as the vehicle parc moves towards net zero.
However, it says this means there is an immediate requirement for improvement in the systems that will make any new road pricing solution a success.
BVRLA director of corporate afairs, Toby Poston, who gave evidence to the Committee in October said:
“Road pricing involves a total rethink about the way we tax motorists and incentivise transport behaviour. It is a controversial topic, and one that successive governments have chosen to avoid.
“Rapid transport decarbonisation and the 2035 Phase Out means that policymakers have to get off the fence and start providing a roadmap for the future of motoring taxation. BVRLA members have set out their road pricing principles, and we are delighted that the Transport Select Committee agrees with so many of them, particularly the need to make any system revenue neutral and think about the needs of essential road users.
“Like the Committee, we think the work should start now and the fleet sector is ready to help explore the technologies and policies that will deliver an efficient and effective road pricing system.
“A key role in the implementation of the required technologies sits with multiple government agencies. We need to see them working in close collaboration, receiving additional support in order to meet the challenges of this monumental shift.”
What does the Transport Committee say?
The key point the Committee makes in its Road Pricing report is that zero emission vehicles shouldn’t mean zero tax revenue. It goes on to say that inaction would result in an under-resourced and congested future.
The Committee recommends a road pricing system based on the number of miles travelled and the vehicle type. In that way the existing relationship between motoring taxation and road usage would be maintained.
The Committee recommended the government ensures that the new system:
- replaces fuel duty and vehicle excise duty rather than being added;
- remains revenue neutral with most motorists paying the same or less than they do currently;
- considers the impact on vulnerable groups and those in the most rural areas;
- does not undermine progress towards targets on increased active travel and public transport modal shift; and
- ensures that any data capture is subject to rigorous governance and oversight and protects privacy.
It also added that any solution must not disincentivise the move towards zero emissions.
Ralph Morton is the leading journalist in the leasing broker sector and editor of Broker News, the website which provides information and news for BVRLA-registered leasing brokers. He also writes extensively on the fleet and leasing market in both the UK and Europe.
