Almost two-thirds of motorists prefer a big tax increase on fuel instead of vehicle excise duty, a poll from motoring group RAC has shown.

Such a move would increase the cost of fuel from around 77 pence to nearly £1 a litre.

Road user charging would be dumped in favour of fuel tax as a simpler method of pay-as-you-drive.

The RAC said the survey showed that motorists considered the current taxation system to be unfair.

The findings follow the introduction earlier this month of automatic fines for motorists with out-of-date tax discs.

'Fairer'

The RAC survey results may seem surprising, given the fuel price protests in 2000.

But the organisation says motorists view higher fuel prices as fairer than facing an extra charge by the mile on busy roads.

 

The drivers surveyed also said more expensive fuel would help catch today's tax disc cheats - there are 1.75 million untaxed cars on the road.

The motorists believe the current tax system does little to halt the growing problem of 1.25 million uninsured drivers.

Motoring campaigners have already argued that those who do not register with the DVLA and who are "completely lawless" would not be snared by the legislation introduced in January.

 

As many as 64% of motorists believe that if motoring taxes were simplified by putting all tax on fuel, it would shake up the current antiquated system, and make tax cheats pay up by charging them on the point of use and according to how much they drive.

Outdated tax disc

The RAC also said 38% of motorists considered the tax disc to be wholly outdated, with the majority stating that it made the system easy to cheat.

As many as 54% motorists oppose satellite-tracking road-user charging for passenger cars, while suggestions for a daily road user charge, on to which tax would be added, would be opposed by 71%.

The survey also showed that only 54% of motorists were confident that they knew how much their annual fuel bill totalled.

In reality, the average motorist spends £964 per annum on fuel.

The RAC said that even if motoring costs and taxes were increased by £1,500 per annum, only 30% of drivers would definitely switch to an alternative transport method.

Motorists 'anaesthetised' to fuel tax

This would mean that petrol would have to almost double in price before motorists would switch.

RAC spokesperson Rebecca Bell said: "If the cost of motoring is to be used as a lever to coax people out of their cars, fuel taxation does not seem to be such a sensible option.

"Our research shows motorists have become anaesthetised to fuel-based tax - they just don't think about how much they end up paying."

"If future motoring taxes were designed to raise maximum revenues, this solution would work a treat but, in reality, RAC worries that it might add to, not reduce, car usage in the coming years."