ISLE of Wight MP Andrew Turner has said an idea floated by a government minister to scrap road tax and replace it with a pay-per-mile scheme for drivers could benefit Isle of Wight residents.
He has asked for Isle of Wight residents’ views on proposals by Minister of Transport, Norman Baker, who suggested in an interview with a national newspaper that some form of pay-per-mile tax is becoming more likely.
Existing road tax would be scrapped and fuel duties lowered with the costs offset by a charge per mile.
Mileage would be monitored by a 'black box’ device in the car, with the number of miles driven directly linked to how much drivers would pay.
The proposed new system would not cost average drivers any more money. However, overall charges would increase for those who drive longer distances and typically use motorways, according to Mr Baker.
In a statement Mr Turner said that there could be potential benefits to Island residents, many of whom undertake relatively short journeys around the Island.
Mr Turner said: "There would be significant costs involved in setting up such a system so if it doesn’t increase the overall tax take, I think it would be very unlikely the government would introduce it."
He added: "Nevertheless, it is important to know what people think about possible changes in the road tax system. If this discussion were to go any further it would be useful to have some idea of how it would be received by Islanders.
"If anybody would like to contact me with their views, either in favour or against the idea, I would be most interested to hear them."
He can be contacted on 530808.