Motorists pay high price

27 February 2009

Motorists raise £28 billion for treasury
Just £5 billion used for road maintenance
Rail passengers get 21p per mile

Latest News

The UK's roads might be a dangerous patchwork of potholes and poor surfaces, but more car-related tax revenue is spent on subsidising public transport than repairing roads.

Despite contributing £28 billion to the Treasury each year, less than £5 billion is spent on road maintenance, according to a report by the RAC Foundation.

The research found that for every mile a motorist travels they will contribute 4p to the Treasury, yet the Government actually subsidises bus passengers by 6.4p for each mile travelled and rail users by a massive 21p per person per mile.

The RAC Foundation is calling for the Government to strike a fairer balance between the cash raised through taxing motorists and the money spent on repairing roads.

Foundation Director Professor Stephen Glaister said, 'For many years there has been a stark imbalance between what motorists contribute to the Exchequer and what they get in return.

'The car and lorry are central to economic life and it is cynical of the Government to ignore the needs of drivers who use the network not only to get to and from work, but also for business travel.'