Article: Pay-as-you-go mooted for motorists

[ozbob]

This will cause a massive load on already struggling public transport systems.  Governments, state and federal, need to stop the excessive funding for roads and do something substantial for public transport today.  They only real way to build in the capacity required is to ramp up heavy rail for bulk commuter transport, and use buses for their utility to act as feeders and short haul transport were heavy rail is not available.

From News.com.au  Daily Telegraph click here!

Pay-as-you-go mooted for motorists

Pay-as-you-go mooted for motorists

By Malcolm Farr

March 10, 2008 01:38am
Article from: The Daily Telegraph

MOTORISTS will be automatically hit with a special levy when they drive on congested roads under proposed tax changes now before the Federal Government.

They would be instantly billed by automatic vehicle identification systems such as those used to monitor cars on toll roads.

But motorists who drove in non-peak periods and had environmentally friendly cars would pay less for the right to have a vehicle.

And scrapping the present one-charge-for-all system would give low-income earners a chance to cut motoring costs by changing their driving habits.

The proposal is contained in a Budget submission to the Government by the Australian Automobile Association, representing the nation's eight driver service organisations, including the NRMA.

It matches a push in Treasury for the introduction of more user-pays changes, rather than a flat rate for all, and has been endorsed by a government advisory group, the National Transport Commission.

The proposed system has been likened to mobile phone charges. The mobile owner pays one fee to enter the system but all other costs depend on when, to where, how often and for how long calls are made.

The new tax on drivers would include an "access charge" and a "user charge". This tax structure would replace existing charges motorists pay - federal fuel excise, GST on petrol, state registration charges, stamp duty on registration and road tolls.

In 2007-08, excise on petrol will raise $14.42 billion but just $3.41 billion will be spent on roads.

The amount of the user charge would depend on the size of the vehicle and the wear it causes roads, an environmental charge related to engine capacity, a levy to cover the costs of crashes and the congestion charge.