Dear Sir/Madam,

 

A poll by the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) has apparently shown a majority of motorists to be in favour of having the fixed costs of owning a vehicle (road tax etc.) drastically reduced in favour of a large increase in fuel tax (Scrap tax disc, say most drivers).

 

This is encouraging news indeed, since it is exactly what is needed in order to encourage us to make less use of our cars.

 

The trouble with the high fixed costs of owning a car is that it positively encourages us to make use of it - in order to get our money's worth. They ensure that the more we drive the more value for our money we get.

 

There is nothing wrong with motor vehicles in themselves; it is the grossly excessive use to which we put them that causes all the problems and, in view of global developments, is ultimately non-sustainable. The way to reduce use is to tax use - so that it makes not just ecological, but also economic sense to leave the car on the drive and use public transport.

 

Perhaps we could reduce fixed motoring costs even more and at the same time also solve the problem of uninsured drivers by having basic third-party insurance also paid for automatically from fuel tax.