Drivers could soon have to pay per mile on UK roads under new government toll proposals

A new toll system reportedly in consideration could force motorists to pay for every mile they drive in order to raise more money in tax for the government.

Over the weekend, reports suggested that the UK Government is considering bringing in the controversial toll system for all roads across the UK as a result of falling revenue from fuel duty.

According to the Daily Mail, Chancellor Rishi Sunak expressed interest in the move previously, with the publisher reporting that the scheme is back on the agenda.

However, this isn’t the first time the ‘pay per mile’ system has made headlines; last month, a report released by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change – and obtained by the Sunday Times – said a new system of road pricing needs to be introduced within the next five years in order to prevent traffic chaos and make up for the tax shortfall caused by the switch to electric vehicles.

Mat Fascione / Geograph

The report said: “A new system of vehicle taxation is urgently needed. As more people purchase electric vehicles, changes to taxation will be harder to manage.

“Road pricing offers the opportunity to resolve these issues in a way that works for motorists and society.”

The report also detailed that unless ‘swift measures’ are taken to deal with the problem, the average motorist could soon be spending around thirty-two hours per year stuck in traffic, costing the economy £121.5 billion annually – a massive leap up from the current £59.5 billion.

But how would it work?

Lewis Clarke / Geograph

The report outlined similar plans currently in place in Singapore, which operates a system whereby drivers on motorways are monitored by cameras mounted on gantries with payment deducted from the driver’s card account.

The price for driving on the roads depends on the time and location with the charge for driving on a particularly busy section of road during peak times being higher than on a less used section.

The RAC said last year that a road pricing system ‘would probably use vehicle tracking technology to monitor how much we drive’.

However, a spokesman for the Department for Transport shut down any rumours, saying: “We simply do not comment on speculation – especially guesses around spending which is not in our remit.”