Papers are reporting a new tax on cars and planes. Will it help to reduce carbon emissions?

Papers are reporting a new tax on cars and planes. Will it help to reduce carbon emissions?
There was apparently a leaked memo that has been reported in the papers today, claiming that MPs want cars to be taxed about ?1,800 a year, and airline fares would incur a 17.5% VAT. Interested to know what people think about the tax and whether they think it will work to help the environment.


Answers:

Chosen Answer
Roxy:  I also saw a report that the government were thinking of introducing a 'mileage' charge, so local trips would be priced at one level and motorway driving at another. Who do they think this is going to help? Just the rich people! The poor will suffer again. What they need to do is to encourage alternative forms of transport! Here in Manchester, the local council is trying to get the Metro system extended - it would save pollution and pay for itself in a very short space of time but the Gov won't help us pay for it so we all have to sit in our cars in the congestion. It's a disgrace!
2006-08-07 01:27:01
break:  Don't be daft, since when has a government based taxes on the environment..... If they want to reduce the impact to the environment then they need to set up WORKING and EFFICIENT public transport systems so that people will leave their cars at home. The effect of this tax will be that people pay more to run their cars, and will complain more about the cost, they will still run them!!!!!
2006-08-07 01:27:26
dnlrawson:  No. People will always need to travel whether its on holiday, for their job or just visiting friends/relatives. We can`t stop the Government imposing taxes, which is c&@p, and they know it won`t do a damn thing to save the environment, just like smoking hasn`t bee severely reduced because of no more advertising, its still the biggest money earner with car tax as it is.
2006-08-07 01:27:55
sincere2:  and when they they get the extra money knowing our bright mps the`ll invest the extra money in "transport" hey ho here we go round again
2006-08-07 01:30:30
rhsaunders:  This Yank thinks that the idea is nuts. Petrol prices in Britain are already high enough to discourage anyone from driving without a good reason.
2006-08-07 01:39:42
Monty:  carbon emissions will remain the same, but you can bet that MP's get another above average pay rise.
2006-08-07 01:40:20
rationalist:  It's about time people (governments) realised that the root cause of ALL environmental problems is simply massive overpopulation. We need to reduce world population by about 80-90% to allow the planet to recover. The trouble is, whenever ideas like population control are suggested, the public scream about their so-called "human right" to reproduce - even if it's destroying the entire race. So, the government can continue to screw the population for more money to waste but it won't do any good at all in terms of pollution.
2006-08-07 01:42:14
Laura B:  If we want to reduce the amount oil we burn in the UK then we should increase the tax on petrol for cars and planes. The trouble is, that's so politically unpopular that the government doesn't dare so instead they faff around with silly mileage taxes etc. But yes, I think that raising the cost of using oil will reduce the amount people use. Reducing the amount of oil we burn will reduce carbon emissions. The trouble is that British people now think it's their human right to fly off the continent for weekend mini breaks twice a year, plus go skiing in the alps, plus two weeks on the other side of the world. I also agree with the person who said that we need to reduce the world's population (says a pregnant woman!). Another issue is the developed world's massive consumption of meat. Instead of having a Sunday roast, then making pies from the leftovers and boiling the bones for soup like our grandparents did we're eating vast amounts of meat. An area of the Amazon jungle the size of Wales is chopped down every year to grow food to feed to animals which we eat as burgers and chicken nuggets.
2006-08-07 03:01:00
Phil B:  Ask George W bush he does not seem to care to much!!!
2006-08-07 03:54:18
d:  no. it will just go to the government...if people were genuinely bothered about carbon emmissions and the like, then they wouldnt use 'the extra money issue' as a reason. they either wouldnt drive or fly but find another environmentally friendly way to get about. the government know this, its just another excuse to take money from people who already pay more than enough in taxes
2006-08-07 05:48:13
Antony R:  This is the clearest evidence that most of the Prats that think up this totally unaceptable madness should be taken to a darkened room and left there for a very very long time and left to Rot.
2006-08-08 09:26:47
Immi:  It wont help at all, it just penalises those of us who drive. I have a diesel because it works out more economical for me to run. If the government hoik my tax up to the level they wish, i'm being penalised for being too poor to buy a shiny new car thats very environmentally friendly. If the government want to reduce carbon emissions by forcing us out of our cars then they need to sort out the public transport in this country. Reintroduce freight trains to remove the lorries off the road for starters, there is so much more they can do other than stick the road tax up again!
2006-08-10 04:00:38