London’s “Green Tax” Targets Vehicles with ‘Large’ Feet

By Nelson Laplante
Posted August 10, 2007

The implementation of “green taxes” on automobiles in England is burgeoning under the false pretext that CO2 emissions cause global warming. This is an added example of the implementation of Agenda 21 (Agenda for the 21st Century) which would have people all over the developed world, give up their cars for walking, biking and mass transit.

While living in London for the past two months, I have been constantly bombarded by the BBC with unceasing global warming and climate change propaganda.  I have begun to understand why so many in Great Britain may believe in it.  They are continuously reminded by the news media of the carbon footprint left by our normal daily activities.  Even commercials and morning  programs tell us that we should waste less, drive less and generally reduce our activities and movements to a minimalist level.

The weather over this past summer has consisted of record rain and floods that have devastated many farmers, businesses and entire towns with damage costs likely to be in the billions of pounds.  This followed last summer’s heat wave and drought where citizens were required to conserve their water usage.  Both of these weather patterns are supposedly the direct result of climate change. These  weather extremes have been used as convenient tools by the media to convince us of the indisputable proof of its existence.  How can one possibly question the validity of man made climate change when we are repetitively told that it is a fact? In reality these cyclical patterns have been historically normal for eons despite desperate attempts to justify otherwise.

In a contrived attempt to combat this seemingly very serious threat to our existence, England is beginning to implement its first “pollution charge” or “green tax” that will focus on cars emitting too much carbon.  This follows London’s 2003 congestion charge that was supposed to reduce traffic within the city centres.  The congestion tax has been changed into an environmental charge.  The vehicle excise tax has already been increased for high polluting cars.  A Spokesman at Transport for London has stated that “by making these changes to the congestion charging scheme we are encouraging people to take in to account the impact of their choice of car on climate change.”

There will be a charge of ₤25 per day (about $50) to drivers of “large vehicles” living inside the congestion zone to drive into the city centres.  It will be an emission-based charge and is said to include approximately one-fifth of vehicles, focusing on the highest emitters.  Such a tax could cost someone living inside the zone up to ₤6,500 per year.  Vehicles emitting less than 120g/km of carbon dioxide will be exempt, while those emitting between 120g/km and 225g/km will be charged ₤8.  More details are to be announced later this week by London Mayor Ken Livingstone and the program is planned to begin in February, 2008.  At least 10 other cities are watching closely as they too would like to get into the green tax racket.  Manchester already has plans of a ₤5 per day charge beginning in 2012.

The main losers are the owners of large cars living inside the zone who were formerly entitled to a 90% discount and will now be forced to pay the full fee.  Commercially, Citron is set to gain significantly from this system as they make 23 different car models that will be exempt, with a starting price of ₤5,860.  According to their spokesman, “Customers will no longer have to go buy an electric car or even a small car to avoid charges.  Low emission engines mean family-sized models like the C4 are exempt.”(1)

The assault on the freedom to choose what you drive and where you go is only getting more ferocious.  Three boroughs in London have already begun charging higher parking fees to drivers of inefficient vehicles.  Cities in the US are eliminating free street parking all together, even in some residential neighbourhoods.  For now the fee hits the larger cars, but it is reasonable to assume that all cars will be paying urban entrance fees for what had formerly been a right to simply drive.

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Agenda 21

Man-made global warming?


Nelson Laplante has been conducting research and writing for Freedom Advocates in an internship position and we thank him for his valuable contributions. Nelson has finished his Masters work in Economics at San Diego State University.  He has also been temporarily living and working in Great Britain.

London’s “Green Tax” Targets Vehicles with ‘Large’ Feet by Nelson Laplante

 

[This article contains links to outside sources not controlled by Freedom Advocates and therefore are subject to change.]

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