Drivers of this one vehicle targeted with major new car tax fee

Motorists are demanding that owners of this one vehicle will be hit with additional charges to use the roads. New analysis from KwikFit found the majority of drivers think operators of heavy goods vehicles should make a bigger car tax contribution to offset road damage such as potholes.

The study found that 56% of drivers agreed that HGV operators should pay an additional charge with the money set to be ringfenced for road surface repairs. According to the survey, just 17% said they disagreed with an extra fee on these vehicles. Meanwhile, 44% of pollsters are in favour of issuing charges to delivery vehicles compared to 23% who were against it.

Dan Joyce, operations director at KwikFit, stressed it was "understandable" for road users to want heavier vehicles to take the blame for the damaged roads.

However, he stressed the move could backfire with drivers likely to pay the bills regardless due to increased consumer costs.

He said: “Motorists already feel that they are contributing enough so it is understandable that they want the additional burden to be on the heavier vehicles believed to do the most damage to road surfaces.

“Of course, any costs placed on businesses through levies on HGVs or delivery vans are likely to be passed through to the end consumer, so it’s critical that potential measures are not looked at in isolation.”

Only a quarter (26%) of drivers said they would be prepared to pay more ‘road tax’ even if the money was ringfenced for road repairs.

The findings revealed that younger drivers would be much more willing to pay extra than older drivers.

However, the KwikFit study found that road users tend to believe that the weight of a car should be a factor in setting how much tax owners pay.

Under current rules, the overall emissions are used to determine Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) fees with more-polluting models paying more.

However, a staggering 48% of drivers told Kwik Fit that the owners of heavier cars should pay a higher rate to reflect their greater impact on the roads.

Dan added: “However the required funding is raised, what is vital is for there to be a long-term strategic plan for road maintenance rather than short term patching.”