In the United Kingdom, a group of experts from the Center for Policy Studies has proposed the implementation of a new tax on electric cars.
A huge controversy has been fueled in the United Kingdom, on account of a proposal made by a group of experts, which proposes imposing a tax rate for the use of electric vehicles. But should electric cars pay more to use the roads?
Apart from the well-known advantages, such as saving money on fuel, cheaper maintenance and reduced emissions, electric cars benefit from a lower tax burden, as they are exempt from registration tax.
Likewise, owners of electric vehicles do not pay in regulated parking areas nor do they have a time limit and they usually have discounts on some tolls, for example.
This situation occurs in Spain and, more or less, is repeated in most European countries. However, things could change, because there are already those who are considering paying more to use the electric car.
Should electric cars pay more to use the roads? These are the reasons
In the United Kingdom, a group of experts from the Center for Policy Studies has proposed the implementation of a new tax for electric cars, because, as they explain, these vehicles damage roads more due to their additional weight, as published by colleagues from Computer Today.
Specifically, they recommend that electric car owners pay an extra tax for each kilometer traveled. Likewise, it suggests that the measure is also implemented in gasoline and diesel vehicles, whose sale of new models will be prohibited after 2030.
According to the report published by the CPS, the longer the decision to impose this tax is delayed, the more politically difficult it will be to implement. Therefore, the group of experts recommends that it be established as soon as possible.
Logically, a proposal like this has not taken long to generate controversy and a deep debate on social networks. To win support, the CPS claims that the government agrees to reinvest the profits made in improving the road network.
Less income from fuels
According to the expert group, electric cars are clearly heavier than their combustion engine counterparts, which means that, over time, they will cause more damage on roads. The tax would vary depending on the weight of the vehicle.
But, basically, the CPS proposal responds to another motivation. Governments face a major challenge, that of falling revenues from fuel taxes.
For this reason, they seek to establish an equitable system in which the owners of these cars contribute fairly to the maintenance of the roads. In 2021, the United Kingdom collected a total of 38,673 million euros in taxes on hydrocarbons, but only 13,797 million euros were invested in improving the roads.
This measure that is proposed in the United Kingdom is one of those that are already beginning to circulate in some European countries and that may end the incentives that benefited electric cars.
A clear example is the case of Norway that, little by little, has begun to eliminate tax advantages that had the price of an electric vehicle being even lower than another equivalent combustion.
