VED revamp proposals generate fresh debate on nationwide road pricing

The news that the Government is looking at reforming Vehicle Excise Duty led to renewed media interest in the concept of road user charging.

Rik Thomas

09 November 2012

The Times this week launched the second phase of its ‘Cities Fit for Cycling’ campaign. As part of the coverage, it ran an article discussing ‘peak car’ theory

The possibility of a two-tier system of vehicle excise duty, under which motorists who use the motorway network and other main trunk roads would pay a higher rate than motorists who don’t, caused a modest media storm towards the end of October.

This happened despite widespread admissions in the papers that the idea is hardly top of the political agenda at the moment. The Financial Times, for example, on 29 October acknowledged that: “A Whitehall insider said the idea had been...