Pay-per-mile car taxes to be devolved in Wales to local authorities - 'It's anti-motorist!'
The Welsh Transport Minister said pay-per-mile taxes should lie with the traffic authority
GETTY/GOV.WALES
Wales has not ruled out introducing pay-per-mile taxes stating that the power to implement changes lies with local authorities.
The potential tax measures come as Transport Minister Ken Skates told the Petitions Committee that any local charging schemes for drivers must be decided by traffic authorities.
He had previously said the Welsh Government was open to the “potential for an alternative means of revenue” that a pay-per-mile scheme offers as an alternative to road tax.
Most recently, Skates noted that charging can only be implemented on roads for which the “charging authority is also the traffic authority”.
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The Petitions Committee met to discuss road taxes
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He added: “This means that local authorities have the legal responsibility and control over the roads they choose to implement such schemes on.”
Despite this, one councillor warned that Cardiff City Council is already considering implementing new road taxes as the city continues to be plagued with cars.
Andrew Morgan, leader of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, said: “Although there may currently be only one council in Wales actively investigating road user payment, the evidence suggests it will be looked at more widely in future.
“The viability of any scheme(s) will depend on local circumstances and so opportunities will vary across Wales.”
The concerns around a road pricing scheme were recently discussed at the latest Newport City Council meeting where delegates put their concerns to the council.
Councillor Matthew Evans, who represents the Welsh Conservatives for Newport City Council, said: “It’s no secret the Welsh Government is anti-motorist.
“There are rumours further taxes are due on the horizon to pay for the pet schemes like propping up Cardiff Airport again and it could be a pay-per-mile tax something not denied recently by the Welsh transport minister or congestion charging to go with workplace parking taxes.
“Whatever the proposal, we all see the chaos in and around our city on an almost daily basis and subsequent strangle hold on both economic and welfare damage.”
Taking his concerns to the leader of the Council, Evans asked for “some reassurances that he will oppose these or any other measures which may cause further disruptions to our already overstretched road and city network”.
In response, Labour Councillor Dimitri Batrouni stated that he “will oppose” any proposals to charge motorists to drive in Newport but warned that the city must also receive the public transport upgrades it was “promised”.
He noted: "The council is not anti-motorist; we just announced a free car parking scheme on Saturdays over Christmas.
"We are all crystal clear on this, we were promised [the investment], the city deserves it, the city is feeling the pressure. Any congestion charge, I will oppose."
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Vaughan Gething said the Government should not 'prevent' local authorities from introducing charges
PAMeanwhile, former First Minister Vaughan Gething, who recently joined the Committee, explained that only a handful of councils in Wales would actually have the required scale and volume for road charging to be a real option.
He said: “I don’t think the Government should require people to introduce road user charging, or actively prevent them.”
The committee met to discuss a petition which gained 10,183 signatures against the potential charging for motorists on Welsh roads.
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