Cigarette-style tax and treatment for car owners
Grade automobiles from economy (electric, no frills) to SUV/sports cars and apply strongly progressive tax regimes — so any private vehicle bears a 50% tax, those costing over £30,000 attracts 100% tax, over £50,000 attracts 200% tax, etc. Tax on-road public parking steeply: £10,000/yr for a license to park on roads. Add a surcharge to council tax for any property with a garage or driveway.
Connect the tax revenue directly to repairing the damage caused by automobiles: health funding for victims of RTAs and lung disease; narrowing roads and reducing their impact on neighbourhoods and wildlife; providing safe and accessibile public transport for elderly or disabled people. Treat people who insist on using cars through addiction programmes. Make films that celebrate families who crush their cars and recycle them.
Why the contribution is important
Car ownership as such will have to be phased out over time, but at present we have an economy and transport system that often requires families to have cars in order to access jobs, food and so forth. We can, however, do something to change the positive image associated with car ownership and begin to wean Scottish society off its addiction to a violent, greedy and destructive form of transport—in the same way that we treat cigarette addiction. By using targeted taxes and a powerful public health campaign, we can change the way car ownership is perceived from a status item, to a sign of dependency and antisocial behaviour.
by wbtd on October 23, 2020 at 07:42PM
Posted by dukespencer October 24, 2020 at 16:45
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Posted by Pixie October 25, 2020 at 21:23
Emissions from cars are still significant, and transport is the main source of carbon emissions in Scotland, most of which comes from cars. Measures to make driving more expensive and less appealing can be introduced alongside improvements to sustainable transport to help address this.
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