Pay Per Mile: Sadiq Khan’s new unfair tax on London’s motorists
CITY HALL CONSERVATIVES 15 MAR 2024
In recent years, there has been talk of a new system looming over our city's roads: Pay Per Mile. This system would essentially act like a taximeter in your own car, tracking you as you drive, tallying up charges for each mile and then funnelling those payments straight to the Mayor's office. It's a concept that's been floating around for a while, and recent developments suggest it might be closer to reality than we'd like.
WHAT IS PAY PER MILE?
Pay Per Mile is exactly what it sounds like: a system where cars would be tracked as they navigate Greater London. Unlike the ULEZ, cars would be charged for every mile they drove, and the charge would not necessarily be capped at £12.50 a day. The charge would apply to all roads, rather than specific roads like the Dartford Crossing Charge. The charge would almost certainly apply to all cars as well, meaning lower-polluting vehicles would have to pay despite currently being ULEZ-compliant.
OUR VIEW ON PAY PER MILE
We want to be very clear: The City Hall Conservatives do not support - and will never support - any London Mayor introducing a pay per mile system as an additional tax on Londoners. Sadiq Khan seems to be exploring ever more creative ways to squeeze money out of Londoners, and it's time to put a stop to it. Implementing Pay Per Mile would be unfair to those who rely on their cars, unfair to those who spent thousands upgrading their vehicles specifically to comply with the ULEZ, and unfair on the pockets of every Londoner.
EVIDENCE SADIQ KHAN SUPPORTS PAY PER MILE
Sadiq has recently started saying that he will not introduce Pay Per Mile, but we all know that he has gone back on his word before. He is on record saying that he had “no plans” to expand the ULEZ - shortly before making the decision to do just that.
A report published in February 2022, commissioned by Sadiq Khan, set out actions that would move London towards net zero carbon emissions by 2030. The report stated that one of the key measures would have to be a road user charging scheme, such as “a simple and fair scheme where drivers pay per mile”. Note the use of the word “would” here - this is not merely a suggestion.
Sadiq Khan has also spoken about Pay Per Mile himself. In his book, Breathe, Sadiq Khan says that “we need to go further - and we intend to. We have plans to introduce a new, more comprehensive, road user charging system.” He has said that the 'nearest comparator' for his plans is Singapore, which currently uses sensors on gantries above roads to track and charge cars that drive underneath.
3 months ago, Peter Fortune questioned Sadiq Khan on a secret project - dubbed Project Detroit. The project has 157 staff members dedicated to it, and a final estimated cost between £130 million to £150 million. In response to a Freedom of Information request, TfL said “we will be looking to build the system flexibly so that other forms of charging based on distance, vehicle type, etc could be catered for.”
It is clear that Sadiq Khan is working towards a Pay Per Mile system which would cause huge harm to London.
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD
A Pay Per Mile system would unfairly cause untold amounts of damage to Londoners’ lives, yet it is clear that Sadiq Khan is intent on pursuing this policy. The City Hall Conservatives will oppose him introducing this additional tax every step of the way. Londoners should not be forced to install taxi-meters in their own cars.
The upcoming elections for Mayor of London and the London Assembly will be held on 2nd May. We encourage all Londoners to make their voices heard - so apply for a postal vote if you will be unable to go to the Polling Station. Remember that you now need Photo ID to vote.
