What Are The Govt. Thinking?

[dazwan]

Scary plans ahead if the government has it's own way!!!

If I understand the article, it's just going to encourage more drivers to use the quiet rural roads instead of the motorways! I know I'll use A-Roads at 1.6p/mile compared to 16p/mile for the M-Way.

[yannick]

Luckily this is completely unworkable

The scheme would require expensive satellite-tracking equipment to be fitted in all cars.

Can you imagine fitting this stuff to I don't know how many millions of cars? And what about Lotus 7's etc where there is very limited space. Can you also imagine collectors putting this sort of gadgetry on antiques? And what about foreigners? Do they have to get kitted up before coming over?

Finally - if I drive without one of these kits, do I avoid being charged?

[Fidgits]

Why does this not surprise me :ffs:

Labour goverment... ooh look, a way to make more money to try and cover our incompitence over the running of the country.. lets do it!

Disagree???

NI doubled and celing removed, student fee's... and they still cant balance the books!

Speaks volumes to me!

[jimma]

Luckily this is completely unworkable

The scheme would require expensive satellite-tracking equipment to be fitted in all cars.

Can you imagine fitting this stuff to I don't know how many millions of cars? And what about Lotus 7's etc where there is very limited space. Can you also imagine collectors putting this sort of gadgetry on antiques? And what about foreigners? Do they have to get kitted up before coming over?

Finally - if I drive without one of these kits, do I avoid being charged?

Sat tracking units can be as small as a matchbox. The Gov. would probably legislate a slow time change i.e. all new cars to be fitted at source - No compliance, No S/TVA. So all non trackered vehicles will slowly phase out. This countries gov.t sucks and I don't just mean the current one! they aleays saw the British public and their hard earned as an easy income for themselves. Great Britain has a greedy national attitude and the ones who are in power can exercise theirs!!

[jimma]

Luckily this is completely unworkable

The scheme would require expensive satellite-tracking equipment to be fitted in all cars.

Can you imagine fitting this stuff to I don't know how many millions of cars? And what about Lotus 7's etc where there is very limited space. Can you also imagine collectors putting this sort of gadgetry on antiques? And what about foreigners? Do they have to get kitted up before coming over?

Finally - if I drive without one of these kits, do I avoid being charged?

Sat tracking units can be as small as a matchbox. The Gov. would probably legislate a slow time change i.e. all new cars to be fitted at source - No compliance, No S/TVA. So all non trackered vehicles will slowly phase out. This countries gov.t sucks and I don't just mean the current one! they aleays saw the British public and their hard earned as an easy income for themselves. Great Britain has a greedy national attitude and the ones who are in power can exercise theirs!!

My apologies, woke up in Militant hate everything mode today! :D

[dazwan]

It could be worse you know. We could have a Conservative government as well!

Any government will implement this, at the end of the day all governements are the same. Labour are doing a better job than Conservative ever did! (but then I did grow up in a mining town in Yorkshire and can rememeber how the miners were treated in the 80's)

That doesn't excuse this crazy plan though. Thank the lord for "think-tanks"!!!!

[jimma]

Why does this not surprise me :ffs:

Labour goverment... ooh look, a way to make more money to try and cover our incompitence over the running of the country.. lets do it!

Disagree???

NI doubled and celing removed, student fee's... and they still cant balance the books!

Speaks volumes to me!

;) Come on lets not get into this student fee's thing ;)

[Unity Jon]

do 'think tanks' need satelite tracking then ? or have you found a loop hole. :P

[Fidgits]

It was just an example, you can say the Cons would be as bad, and perhaps they might.

But at the end of the day, since TB became PM, it seems that every which way they can find to take more money of the public, they do.... Im just waiting for a rise in income tax..

And a thought on this, the gps system would be able to judge your speed....

[Surinder]

this is actually an old Conservative poilcy rehashed, lets not forget these guys are unable to think of new ideas!.

The conservatives wanted to charge per mile if i recall, so the more you use a car the more you pay. But considering the majority of people who travel to work fall in the low to middle income group they didnt get very far with it.

[dazwan]

It's the think-tanks that come up with these hair brained schemes. No government has enough imagination to think 'outside the box'.

It's simple really. Stick a bunch of graduates with no experience of the real world in a room and get them to come up with ideas on how to make money. It's only when these ideas are unleashed on the general public that the vital flaws in the plan start to appear (little things like, the public needs the money it earns to buy food!)

[yannick]

I also noticed that they suggested that they could reduce petrol & road tax. Wahey! You get cheaper petrol (IIRC the UK is still one of the most expensive countries in Europe) but have to pay to use the road?

It does seem a little pointless - petrol tax is already effectively a mileage tax. Makes you wonder who in the cabinet has shares in a GPS equipment company :P

But this is all theoretical - I can't see any government (right, left or middle) reducing petrol tax. It's far too good a money earner!

[Fidgits]

I'm sure Tony has a friend with a GPS company.... thats the way the goverment seems to appoint contractors anyway <_<

[jimma]

I'm sure Tony has a friend with a GPS company.... thats the way the goverment seems to appoint contractors anyway <_<

I think it's probably his bent, crooked, fare dodging, flat purloining, v. attractive lawyer/judge of a wife thats got a friend in the GPS business! :D

"You can't do me, I'm a judge thats married to the PM" I wonder if her Ford Galaxy will have a tracker or will they be exempt like thay are with the congestion fees?

[jimma]

I'm sure Tony has a friend with a GPS company.... thats the way the goverment seems to appoint contractors anyway  <_<

I think it's probably his bent, crooked, fare dodging, flat purloining, v. attractive lawyer/judge of a wife thats got a friend in the GPS business! :D

"You can't do me, I'm a judge thats married to the PM" I wonder if her Ford Galaxy will have a tracker or will they be exempt like thay are with the congestion fees?

Just read that back to myself, cynical or what. Just trying to be dry, honest.

[yannick]

I wonder if her Ford Galaxy will have a tracker or will they be exempt like thay are with the congestion fees?

Probably all ministers (and by extension their wives) will be exempt for reasons of "Security of State" :P

[Fidgits]

I wonder if her Ford Galaxy will have a tracker or will they be exempt like thay are with the congestion fees?

Probably all ministers (and by extension their wives) will be exempt for reasons of "Security of State" :P

sounds about right...

They get to have their privacy because of 'security'.... but us normal people just get shafted..

[Yarisboy]

the government should try spending some of the 40billion they generate from road tax, speeding fines etc.

they use about 1% of that 40 billion quid on the roads... outrageous.

[Fidgits]

A have a serious worry about this...

The 'big brother' syndrome.

If it goes ahead, then the goverment will be able to know where you are, where you've been at what speed, the roads you have taken at all times...

This raises serious privacy issues in my mind...

[yannick]

A have a serious worry about this...

The 'big brother' syndrome.

If it goes ahead, then the goverment will be able to know where you are, where you've been at what speed, the roads you have taken at all times...

This raises serious privacy issues in my mind...

As to the UK govt's record on privacy... :censor: no comment (no privacy either! :ffs: )

I am not at all surprised by your comment re BB, and I think that inevitably there will be information sharing between various govt depts, Police etc...

I made a decision a few years back to leave the country never to return (to live, at least). My decision has been confirmed over and over since then.

[kash]

Why does this not surprise me :ffs:

Labour goverment... ooh look, a way to make more money to try and cover our incompitence over the running of the country.. lets do it!

Disagree???

NI doubled and celing removed, student fee's... and they still cant balance the books!

Speaks volumes to me!

I totally agree with u mate... My income has droped over the last few years (if u take all the tax hikes into account)... I'm worse off than I was a couple of years ago!!! All the taxes they put through the back door aswell!!!

Council tax up 20% (apparently could go up by another 30% next year in London... thats 50%in two years :ffs: )

NI up....

Income tax up!!! :ffs:

Insurace tax up!!! :ffs: :ffs:

etc... etc....

Not mentioning all the price hikes for public transport (another 20% in January for all those who don't have one of those Oyster card things)

It's not only Labour, its all the stupid governments of this country!!! :ffs: :ffs: :ffs: To be Honest I don't really trust any politician any more, a bunch of liars as far as I'm concerned!!!

To be honest I think the ppl in the UK are mugs (including myself)... most of us just keep quiet when the government decides to squander and waste our hard earned cash, we gotta force them to be more accountable!!!

Yes I'm all for a better NHS, better Public Transport System, better Schools etc... (funded by public funds)!!! BUT I'm sure the government wastes money on things that could be spent to improve these!!!

[yannick]

BUT I'm sure the government wastes money on things that could be spent to improve these!!!

Like a little war in Iraq, for example?

[Yarisboy]

once again... what are they doing with the 40+billion they earn from road tax's and speeding fines etc etc if it's not being spent on the roads?

Labour is the best of a bad bunch, any government here will raise taxes and be unfavourable.

[Nicola]

Yet again its another scheme that makes little impact on wealthy people, but hurts the pockets of the poorer motorist.

Forcing people onto A roads will lead to an increase in accidents.

There is no such thing as a government to please everyone.

And still the public transport has not been improved, however much money is ploughed into it.

[kash]

BUT I'm sure the government wastes money on things that could be spent to improve these!!!

Like a little war in Iraq, for example?

What was it again 3.6 Billion... b4 they decided they needed an extra 800 Million more to spend on it!!!!