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Drivers may be taxed per mile June 9, 2003 THE British government is studying a model to tax motorists country-wide based on the time they spend on the road, according to reports. Satellites and computers would track motorists in order to bill them for the specific route they take, Minister of Transport Alistair Darling said to the British weekly. Commuters, school-run parents and motorway users would bear the brunt of a variable system, where charges would be highest for rush-hour travel and for using the most congested roads. Use of motorways in Britain is currently gratis. While tracking 24 million British motorists by satellite would undoubtedly bring up civil liberty issues, Darling argued that the issue of road tax was unavoidable. "We have a choice in the next 25 to 30 years," he said. "Either we build more and more motorways - astronomically expensive, environmentally damaging, and I doubt if we could actually do it - or we take a radically different look at how we manage the system." Agence France-Presse

http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6567592^13762,00.html

Doesn't this infringe on civil liberties?

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Yeah, I think it does. When you consider that they'd basically have satellite records of every single place you drive, how long you're there, etc. Not to mention that we already pay a gasoline tax which in effect charges those who drive more, so this really sounds like a clever way to try to double down on taxes we already pay. I don't think it'll pass. I sure hope it doesn't.

Funny though, I read a rationale for using the driving tax instead of a gas tax, based on the fact that newer cars are so fuel efficient that the drivers pay "less" in "gas tax", whereas some douchebag soccer mom driving her Suburban XT to and from soccer practice every day would end up paying more in driving taxes. I say Big deal! Get a better car ya dumb beyotch! The corollary would be to say that fuel efficient cars act like a tax credit for environmentally concientious people. Keep driving your gas sucker if you don't want the tax break.

I believe Oregan (the state north of california) is doing the same. They will not be tracking where you drive to, just how many miles. Kinda like digital odometer with an internet uplink that updates your total miles to a database. But yeah, if its part of a GPS system then theres something fishy about it

The way this country is going it won't be long before you won't be able to take a piss without the goverment knowing about it

this is all panic due to that bbc transport disaster program.

+ if they are stickin a satellite piece a shit on my car i ain't payin 4 it lol

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Originally posted by Project T this is all panic due to that bbc transport disaster program. + if they are stickin a satellite piece a shit on my car i ain't payin 4 it lol

too right if they think i'm paying for a satelite dish sticking off my car to tell em where i am their very mistaken

Good point occrider!

It's easy to announce today that "Oh only America is messed up, people losing their liberties left and right." We should keep in mind that the reality of the situation is that this is a worldwide phenomenon, in one way or another.

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Originally posted by gibbo too right if they think i'm paying for a satelite dish sticking off my car to tell em where i am their very mistaken

Well, I dont know if thats the purpose, I remember I once read that this satellite thingys will help find stolen cars, know of where criminals might be, rappers and so on, and besides helping you when caught fuel empty on the middle of nowhere. They wont be tracking everycitizen, its impossible, so it would only be dont in situations as I mentioned, thats what I read that will be implimented on the cars of the future.. or, NOW.

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Originally posted by LiquidX Well, I dont know if thats the purpose, I remember I once read that this satellite thingys will help find stolen cars, know of where criminals might be, rappers and so on, and besides helping you when caught fuel empty on the middle of nowhere. They wont be tracking everycitizen, its impossible, so it would only be dont in situations as I mentioned, thats what I read that will be implimented on the cars of the future.. or, NOW.

You're talking about lowjack right? I think that's different than this system. Lowjack only tracks your position once you activate it with the police. This system, if it gets implemented (I really doubt it will), seems like it would track your EVERY movement by satellite for the "sole" purpose of taxing the distances you travel in the car. Makes you wonder why they just don't attach an odometer reading to your car right?

At any rate if it was implemented I'm sure it would start off innocentely enough and then later on it could be adapted for police use to track criminal behaviour. Seems like it would trespass on my right to privacy a little too much.

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i think it's up to the owner whether they want to be tracked or not, and for the petrol thing, that's why mobile phones are useful

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Yeah your right Occrider, was just throwing on on what I read about this system that was been discussed about to help track stolen cars and such.

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