In perhaps the most predictable move of the century, our friends at The Telegraph report today that London Mayor Sadiq Khan will now extend the city’s onerous £15 per day “congestion charge” to…wait for it…ELECTRIC VEHICLES. That’s right: He and his fellow government officials are so greedy for money that they’re now extending a charge they promoted as a means of cutting auto emissions in the city to cars that create no emissions.
You just could never make this stuff up, folks - don’t even try.
Here’s an excerpt from the story:
Sadiq Khan is extending London’s congestion charge to all zero-emission vehicles from the end of next year.
The move, which will extend the £15-a-day tax on motoring to battery-powered electric vehicles from Christmas Day 2025, was widely condemned on Tuesday.
Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, said: “Taxing cars even if they’re zero emission shows Labour’s plan to use motorists as cash cows. If they get into government there will be worse to come, with pay-by-mile taxes and fuel duty hikes to help close their £2,000 tax black hole.”
The AA described the scrapping of the green exemption as “a turkey bone in the throat” for owners of electric cars wanting to drive them in the capital.
Mr Khan’s office declined to comment when approached by The Telegraph.
Over the years, the Mayor of London has spoken extensively about his personal drive to improve London’s air quality by imposing charges and restrictions on motorists, including the Low Emission Zone (Lez) and the Ultra-Low Emission Zone (Ulez).
Transport for London (TfL), which he chairs, confirmed this week that it was proceeding with plans to remove the current £10-a-year exemption that lets owners of battery-powered vehicles drive in the capital without paying the £15-a-day congestion charge.
[End]
Leftism is a true mental disorder. There is no other explanation.
That is all.
It never was about the environment, it's all about the socialist agenda of aggressive taxation, restricting freedoms and ultimately an authoritarian state. Welcome to the next Labour government...
The Transport for London (TfL) scheme has 2 taxes - one for traffic congestion, and the other as a clean air zone - called an ultra low emission zone (ULEZ). The proposal is to impose the congestion fee on BEVs from 25th December 2025 onwards. The congestion charge covers the central area of London only, whereas the ULEZ covers a much bigger area of the city. Some road users end up paying both fees, which are in force every single day of the year.
It has been known both TfL internal papers and independent calculations that the ULEZ would cease to produce a decent profit much beyond 2024, hence the need to Mayor Khan to grab more cash. It's part of a wider Left agenda to eliminate traffic, which of course then sinks the city economy. Mayor Khan is not known for his intellect, and is driven around London in an armoured Range Rover. Klass.