Why not go the whole hog and ban cars altogether ? Sort of like Albania under Hoxha.....
Ah but that would destroy the revenue stream wouldn't it ?!
And that, of course, stripped of all the eco-twaddle, is what this latest idea is all about - money.
This proposal must be stamped on before it becomes a reality.

Lewis Thomas, High Wycombe, UK

I drive 4.6 range Rover that was converted to LPG when it was new - however as it is not on the appropriate 'register' Mayor Ken wont recognise it as a low pollution car! What a joke! I drive it becuase it's comfortable, safe AND environmentallt friendly compared to my 1.8 MGF however I still have to fork out rediculous amounts of congestion charge supposedly because it's polluting the planet as much as a standard car! It's not fair!

Adam Elphick, London, UK

Open your wallet and say after me, "Help yourself".
Vote them OUT.

Mark, London,

Michael (Brighton) - you are dead right - local authorities will indeed become addicted to the revenue generated !

A good example of this is the toll for the Dartford Thames crossing. This was introduced to pay for the new bridge and to set up a sinking fund for bridge and tunnel maintenance. Once the capital sum was achieved the income therefrom would pay for the maintenance and the tolls would be abolished. The capital sum was indeed reached - earlier than forecast - but guess what - the tolls remain to this day because, say the local authorities, they "need the revenue" ! Yes, well, don't we all ?

Don Bell, Ringwood, Hants UK

We the Motorists have millions of votes its time to get rid of Ken Livingstone and yes the man who taxed us into the poor house Gordon Brown. On another note the term Spin Doctor is just Political name for Bare faced Liar, only Politicians get away with lying to get a job. If The Goverment want to encourage us to go greener how about exempting anyone who part exs a big car for a small one from the VAT and New Car Tax on that small car. As for the Olympics why should us taxpayers foot the bill and whose getting the back handers, let the runners pay for their own sport being made a Lord for running is as bad as getting paid thousands a week for kicking a ball.

Teessider, Stockton,

What of cars with non-UK registration plates?

Tom Heydeman, Reading, UK

It is the politics of envy. Communism has arrived in the UK by the back door and its called New Labour.

Red Ken cannot drive and must be so jealous of all those who drive past in their comfortable and convenient cars whilst he has to take a taxi, bus or the tube.

Please don't think this is an environmental tax, buses pollute far more than a car and need at least 15 people on board for every mile travelled to equal the emissions of a car. very few bus routes manage that and the vast majority only carry 3 or 4 people per mile so are far more polluting than a car.

Indeed, The Times reports today that walking actually produces more carbon than driving

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2195538.ece

so proof this is just envy and tax.

Peter Roberts, Telford, UK

Just a small point, but what, pray, does Federal Europe have to do with it JosephG ?
By all means oppose this proposition but blaming ‘Federal Europe’ which simply does not exist, for ordering Britain to comply with a directive which similarly doesn’t exist shows a level of fantasy that I thought finished at around the age of 8.
It’s drivel like this that makes the comment sections in papers worth less and less.

Nick Moore, Saint Ouen, France

The local authority will become addicted to the income this will generate. They'll use it to lease offices, hire non-job staff and pay pensions and when everyone's bought low-polluting vehicles, the local authority will find itself strapped for cash; before you know it, the annual charges for a low-polluting vehicle will be heading towards £6,500, too.

Anyone remember the late '80s when, to encourage everyone to buy efficient diesel cars, diesel duty was lowered to make it significantly cheaper than petrol? 'Too many' people bought efficient cars, the government lost too much revenue, so it hiked the duty to a level higher than it had been at the outset. And this is exactly what will happen, again.

Michael, Brighton, England

A commonsense idea at last. I believe that those vehicles (used selfishly as a status symbol/ ego trip) should be targetted. These vehicles a safety problem for other drivers and pedestrians alike given the poor visibility they give to others road users.
As for charging these vehicles, i have heard that those huge 4WD pick up truck type vehicles (the ones you seen in british cities but look more suited to the Arizona desert) are actually a tax dodge!

alan, newcastle, uk

Why not go the whole hog and ban cars altogether (except, of course, those used by national and local government officials) ?
Sort of like Albania in Hoxha's time.
No - not likely to happen as the vast revenue stream would dry up.
And that, of course, is what its all about : dreaming up ever more ways of gouging money from our pockets. Just watch how the emissions threshold is steadily lowered as time goes by so that eventually everyone will be caught in the net.

Lewis Thomas, High Wycombe, UK

It will be intersesting to see if Boris or Carrick(if they stand) will have the gonads to oppose this for the stealth tax that it is.I suspect that this is Ken's way of funding the Olympics funding shortfall.

Danny, Ashford,Kent, England

A famous philosopher once said that he that takes from one man and gives to another is guilty of theft.

This government seems to think otherwise.

Brian Gilbert, Hampton, Middx

good luck selfish drivers with 4x4s which are more likely to injure children (US and European research) have had it too easy for too long

Dave Roberts, buckingham, bucks

A Californian, a total mystery to me how ordinary Londoners make ends meet. An even deeper mystery is why Londoners allow themselves to be so financially abused by the government. Because of California's strong voter intiative and elected officials recall system, government at all levels fears the electorate's potential rath. With Prop 13 our property taxes remain affordable and general taxes can't be raised without a 2/3 vote either by the legislature or by citizen initiatives. We recalled incompetent governor Grey Davis and several supreme court justices.

Mark Klein, M.D., Oakland, California

IT's funny that Ken keeps finding the time to develop new taxes for London but there is still no response to the plea of motorcyclists to be allowed to use Bus Lanes.

Furthermore this obsession with CO2 emmissions fails to recognise that diesels throw out far more particular pollution than the equivalent sized petrol vehicle.

Finally, we pay more than enough tax in it's myriad of forms without Ken looking to raise more. Perhaps if the various governments stopped wasting it and start spending wisely they wouldn't need to keep finding new methods for fleecing us.

Martin, Reading, UK

Another means of taxing us! And where does all this money go - into environmental programmes. No - into governmental slush funds for more social engineering and political correctness schemes.

Steve, London, UK

I'm am so glad I do not live in the UK any-more- I have seen it becoming more like an exagerated version of Orwells 1984- except worse.
This is just another example of the apalling nonsense the people of this once great nation has to put up with from its twisted, having a laugh politicians.
The tiny island of Britain could stop producing emisions tommorow and it wouldnt make a jot of difference to the world-
The real poluters are China, America and the US.
This is just another revenue raising excercise for whatever reason the politicians want- I believe it is mostly to prop up the civil servants pensions.
The ploy is cynical and hateful and is the result of hideous mismangaement by the cretins in power.
Good luck to you all- you are going to need it.

Alex Lee, Carshalton/ Surrey, England/ Hong kong

Sounds like a money grap by politicians when they start waving the 'green flag'
One could see imposing a fee as we have done in Canada for new car buyers that emit more emissions or deliver less fuel to the gallon (litre) and those monies go to products or servivcs that will benefit the country.
I can gree with the congestion charge in London as the monies went to more transit, at least I thought so.
The starting point should be fair across all manner of transport and people given a chance to adjust.
This is not to do with congestion, simply a way to get more monies.

Rob Holloway, Victoria, Canada

If you don't like it, you know what to do - just vote those responsible for bringing this nonsense in, out. When the revenue starts to fall they'll change the levels again - and you know what - there'll be no perceptible effect on 'climate change' or 'global warming'? Talk about flat earthers.

Ian, Bristol,

This isn't tax, it's theft. No wonder people are turned off politics. Anyway, it's time we stopped pretending that 'global warming' is the big deal. The root cause of global warming and many so-called 'shortages' such as housing is too many people, in this country and throughout the world. If government really want to do something useful they can start discouraging more than two children, initially through the tax system and by the removal of IVF from the NHS.

Ivor Duarte, Shepperton, UK

Pollution charge, congestion charge, fuel duty, excise tax. Why not just shut London down for a couple of days a week to reduce pollution?
Oh, I remember, that would reduce the revenue generated from £4 tickets that allow you to spend half your day waiting for the occasional tube train that happens to go by or £3 deposits on Oyster cards that tend to charge you £4 anyway if you don't listen for the correct number of beeps on the gate as you go out to spend £10 on an 0845 telephone number to claim a refund because your train didn't show so you go out to take a bus and you can't get the card sorted at the station because LUL wants to close 15% of their ticket offices and then recieve vouchers for the value of your refund that you can't redeem because the ticket office at your station has been closed and so the process starts again...I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT ELECTION!

Graham, London,

More votes for Boris then. Even Londoners can only be taxed so far and a lot of people can't afford new, cleaner cars, as I don't expect this just covers expensive 4 x 4's for a minute, much as they would like to be able to.

Thalia, London,

I find it amusing the way the goal posts are changed to justify increasing tax on motorists. First the tax is to prevent congestion now it seems tax is going to save the planet from climate change. Is it not strange that over millions of years the earth has heated and cooled yet this happened without pollution from man (and woman) and their cars. The theories behind the link with Co2 emissions and global warming do not appear to be backed up by any facts that will stand up to examination. What is happening to our planet appears to be evolution and it will happen whatever we do the idea that we can change evolution is incredible.

A Seymour, Peterborough, UK

Hey ! Why not go the whole hog and ban cars altogether (except, of course, those used by national and local government officials)?
Sort of like Albania under Hoxha.....
Ah but then there would be no revenue at all would there ? And that's what its all about of course - raising yet more revenue from the motorist. You won't be affected because you drive a Mini ?
Just wait and see how the "emissions threshold" or whatever is lowered to catch everyone as time passes!

Lewis Thomas, High Wycombe, UK

Tax. Call it what it is and it is a tax. Will the new tax go towards making clean air? Building carbon scrubbers for power stations? Even - perish the thought - building new streets and roads?

No, it will disappear - like all the others - into the Treasury's pocket and Briton's will never see a pennyworth of improvement in their lives.

Will there be an effective protest? No. Once again, Britons will grumble a bit, write to the newspaper and then bend over and take it in the wallet.

John Blackley, Austin, TX, USA

"Er - so our family of six people will have to start going around in two smaller cars instead of one six-seater? And precisely how is that going to reduce emissions?"

If you're going to London then go by train and use the buses and tube. Its not hard

Fair enough if they put a charge up on the Outer Hebrides, but London is EXTREMELY accessible without a car.

Jamie, Halifax, West Yorkshire

I have lived in London all my professional life, that is 30 years. I use the bus, the metro and walk everywhere. I also have a reasonable sized car for shopping, trips abroad, to the country etc. If Mr Livingstone introduces this charge, I will vote for someone else when the mayoral elections take place. He will change London into a dead city and its centre into a child free zone for multi millionaires which would be most unwelcome. I don't want to leave, I like London. I prefer that he goes.

Joannah Yacoub, W8 5DU,

Yet again drivers seen as the cash cow. When will the so called 'environmentalists' realise that simply charging owners of bigger cars is NOT going to solve the problem? I own 3 cars and they will all be in the high rate emissions band, and yet I do less than 10,000 miles a year overall in *all three cars combined*. The rest of the time I ride my bicycle - using the 'greenest' method as Ken and his ilk would prefer (but for exercise, enjoyment and convenience reasons in my case, rather than 'being green' per se). So it is highly probable that my 'carbon footprint' is a lot less than say a sales rep or estate agent with an economical diesel hatchback who does 50,000 miles a year. Why oh why then, am I penalised just because I like sports cars? Hmmm, methinks it is nothing to do with the environment and everything to do with good old fashioned envy.

Caroline, London, UK

And Australia does not have any global warming issues, does it? How about this drought? No cause or effect, of course!

Manon, Glasgow,

The congestion charge/tax has failed to raise the projected revenue or materially improve traffic flow so they are making it a green tax instead. Ken knows that none of the car owners potentially affected by this "new" tax voted for him last time or are likely to in the future. More cynical student socialism.
Why no hybrid buses in London (seen all over the US and Europe) instead of the dud bendy diesel guzzlers?
Check out another article from the same edition of this paper.'Walking to the shops ‘damages planet more than going by car’ - Times Online.webarchive

Chris, London, England

Spin motivated journalists willfully persist in referring to Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) as 4x4. Yes, SUV are four-wheel-drive, but not all 4x4 are SUV. Here in Japan we have 4x4 passenger cars down to 550cc.
Last winter in the Japan Alps where I reside, I've woken up to half a metre of snow. Townies from Tokyo in their two-wheel-drive vehicles, get stuck on the first incline. Most people can’t afford “horses for courses”, so if they need 4x4 on occasion, that’s what they drive.
And has it occurred to you that most so-called 4x4 vehicles in UK come from Japan? So the government’s campaign to make pariahs of SUV vehicles and their owners is a devious way of increasing the number of European vehicles purchased. Thus to further assimilation into Europe.

Andrew Milner, Yokohama, Kanagawa

Well, someone has to pay for the London olympics!

Jock, Edinburgh,

I presume the taxes incurred by the gas guzzling vehicles our politicians drive will be footed by them not the tax payer

Sarah, Peterborough, UK

The cost of offsetting the carbon footprint of a high polluting vehicle is approx £125 per year. So Ken why are you stuffing londoners for the additional £6,475?? and off course none of the money goes to climate change but instead to pay for ken and TfL's next bizarre idea. This charge is simply a cynical attack, Ken's class war, against the residents of K&C forcing families to leave central london. what do you get then? families are critical to the sense of "community" in any place.

Bobby, London, UK

You don't need a car in London. Get on your bike!

Matt, London, UK

Come on you Londoners! Have you not had enough of this lying, cheating, underhand bloke Livingstone? First he tells yo that congestion is the problem and dips his hand into your wallet, then when that fails he dreams up another reason to rob you senseless! Wake up down there!

Jon P, Cheshire, UK

Once again Ken the Commie reveals his hatred of cars and his lust for more money. What about your beloved buses, Ken? You know, the ones that have huge diesel engines that spew black smoke and potent carcinogens as they drag their bulk away from bus stops, even though they are almost empty a lot of the time?
When is London going to declare itself the Independent Barmy Communist State of Cuckoo Land and leave the rest of us alone? Go and live in Moscow Ken, for God's sake.

A. Howlett, Manchester, England

I really can't see people being prepared to pay £25.00 a day to drive in London and even more so those that already live in the capital. Whilst it may not be a problem to the very rich, what about the low income families who have a large number of children and thus drive a people carrier. If they are on state benefits will they claim an extra £175.00 a week,( £9,100.00 a year )!!
My solution, apart from removing Livingstone to the pits of the earth, is to buy a Polish registered vehicle. It seems anyone from East Europe don't need, (or like most of them), don't have insurance, drive at whatever speed they want and get off parking tickets scot free.

Mike Jones, Farnborough, Hampshire

I noticed in an earlier response that we British are gullible. Not the case, as I guess most of us are fuming (excuse the pun).

Basically we have no choice. We have been taking tax rogerings from this government ever since it we voted them into power.

Maybe Ken will pass the funds on to John Prescott so he can continue to spend 1/2 million pounds per year on luxury travel!

Lynn Bramley, North York's, UK

Poor old Ken it's all gone to his head. He's standing against proper candidates for the job now, so what does he do? go and impose a new tax, good career move Ken.

Martin, Reading, UK

It is incredible to see how not that long ago all the "left-ish" green activist were locked down by all goverments under law respecting excuses and these days any goverment here and there thinks that they can just create any new tax with the excuse of "helping the environment"

Where is all that money really going anyway?

Mr Livingstone and all his colleagues will continue to be driven in his goverment car by his chauffeur while we all are paying the tax of his public car... and struggle to keep paying with the never ending taxes.

If we all were high flying city workers with six figures salaries then we would not worry about this new taxes.

alberto, Brussels, Belgium

On Peters comment about his 16 year old Citroen...

Congratulations for using a vehicle right up to its end of life point,but consider that a blocked air filter,or a badly tuned engine on a 1 litre car will spume out as much emissions as a much larger car in good order,due to the loss of efficiency.

I drive a small old car is not really a valid argument.As you say,Peter,you have no idea of its' emissions.

Instead,look at other ways to reduce your emissions.Take the train.

Matt, Manchester,

Good old Ken as soon as these gas guzzeling cars are taxed off the road the better.
It is a shame that the argument is developing between capitalist verses socialists when we all have to breath the same air and experience the same volatile weather patterns that are sure to come our way.
Many of these taxes are voluntary so dont pollute and you wont be paying the taxes.

Graham, Hemel Hempstead, Herts

Whilst I fully support the increased £25 pollution tax on larger vehicles, I would suggest that some form of "taper relief" be introduced for those owners of larger vehicles already living inside the congestion zone and currently receiving a 90% discount on congestion charges. The relief could be a discount of 75% in year one, 50% in year two and 25% in year three. This relief would not be available for large vehicles purchased after say 1 January 2008.

The owners of larger vehicles acquired their cars and made their choices under circumstances which were different and have now changed. They should not be unduly penalised as they cannot just make their large cars disappear overnight!

A form of taper relief as set out would be a fair compensation in exchange for the loss of the 90% discount which is already in place. At the same time, it would give the drivers of larger high-polluting cars time to reflect and think about their choice of vehicle and make any adjustments if they wished, during the 4 year taper relief period.

Michael Parsons, London,

This needs to be replicated in every city around the world.
People dont buy smallers cars because they feel less safe surrounded by bigger ones. The world needs to downsize the car fleet. We need 100mpg cars everywhere instead of the guzzlers we have at the moment. This will not only help pollution but help the world economy after peak oil. Livingstone needs to be appluaded for this great piece of leadership.

Donald, Lodon,

Is this Ken trying to raise PR funds to fight Boris with?

StevenL, Northumberland,

Wonderful idea. Get rid of all noisy polluting cars. In any case only men with small penises feel the need to drive noisy cars. I despise them completely these idiots who roar through the streets of London to draw attention to themselves.
In fact I think we should ban all cars from central London, except those who can't walk. This will solve the problem of rising obesity and the relentless need to shop.

kt, London,

What did you expect from KL? He is quoted as saying: "I hate cars, if I had my way I'd ban the lot of them." You voted for him, you have only yourself to blame. Unfortunately, I don't suppose it will be long before other towns and cities see this as a money-spinner too. Presumably when he has taxed off the road the "large" vehicles, then it will be the turn of the smaller vehicles.

Adrian Ryan, Donegal, Ireland

I am a tetraplegic in a large wheelchair therefore I must have a van of some size. I managed to get in a converted people carrier it is the smallest vehicle that I can practically use.

Dominic Webb, Godalming,

Nicholas - it's not the cars that cause the smog, it's the buses and HGVs. Oxford St (closed to cars, packed with buses) is the most polluted street in London, and in Manchester the Piccadilly bus station is dangerously polluted. Cars don't need taxing, buses do.

Bob Charles, Oldham, Lancashire

Will this obsession about cars in London every cease? I challenge anyone to stand on a street corner in the centre of town and deem more than 1 in 10 vehicles to be 'private cars'. Those with flourescent green PCO licences don't count as they are minicabs and chauffeur cars plying their trade.

Traffic congestion in London is overwhelmingly down to commercial traffic, public transport and a poorly coordinated road system. It will STILL be gridlock if you removed every private car on the roads.

We live in a city of 10 million that allegedly wants to sell itself these days as a crossroads to the world, so why are we demanding traffic levels more befitting for a market town?

All this latest ruse will achieve is that the cost of deliveries in town goes up, as every van and small lorry, even brand new ones, produce over 225g/km. The original congestion charge was too successful in turning away private road users, so now they want to hit commercial traffic in the wallet instead.

Stefan Szecsei, London, UK

That is despicable! I live in central london and benefit from the discount, however I rarely drive within London because of the difficulty in finding a parking space or the cost of parking is more that what you would normally spent on taxi. My family is expanding and will soon need a 4x4 or people's carrier. We cannot afford to pay £25 a day?!!! It is time that Ken Livingston is booted out! This man is dangerous and must be stopped. He is slowly resembling the character of Hitler.. except his hatred is directed to Londoners! The comfort of living in central london is now outweigh by the burden of these needless taxes. Perhaps this man would like to transform London into a national park, for tourist to come and see, and then leave because with all these taxes he planned to introduce seems to design the residents of London packing away.

SO, South Kensington, London,

It's called the 'Congestion Charge' and was allowed in by government and voted for by Londoners as a way of addressing congestion. Livingstone is claiming his £25 charge is about being environmental but I think it is outside his remit. It doesn't matter which county or suburb a high CO2 emitting vehicle is driven the effect is the same on the environment. I feel his 'green' initiative stems more from his socialist ideology. If he really wanted to do something about London's pollution he should start with the black cabs' emissions. It is true a large 4x4 will emit a fraction more C02, around a third to a half more, but the cab emits around ten times the amount of cancer causing PM10s (the particulate emissions or soot). The black cabs also emit many times the amount of acid rain forming NOx . The cabs only have to conform to the outdated Euro 3 legislation making them far more harmful that a band G vehicle. This soot pollution is local and effect Londoners' health directly.

Mark Stevens, Reading,

Creeping socialism batman!.. Who needs the city when anything that one could want can be purchased over the internet or in local shops.
This really ticks me off and I would try to live as far away from London or any of the other cities as possible. Lands End is looking good to me!

Gracious Street, Bainbridge Island, Wa. USA

just another tax how many times is this goverment going to change the car tax system round no wonder they need all these civil servants must cost afortune for all the paper work ex lab voter

bernard smith, burnley, england

please dont be fooled this is a new stealth tax encouraged by the well of to keep us peasants off the road they want to drive from a to b with out us being in the way they will probable claim it all back on the tax they dont pay ex lab voter

bernard smith, burnley, england

It's just a crap idea. People with large families who need a lartge vehicle have no option so they'll be hit. There were seven in our family when I was growing up... my dad had to take us around in a mini van.
Aside from that, it will just become another tax eating away at the finances of people living in Britain. When I lived in London I never deliberately drove into central London, but I was on occasion forced into it due to tunnel closures, roads blocked, or just because I was lost. I ended up paying the congestion charge for accidentally crossing a tiny corner of the area it covered. I've no repsect left for Ken Livingstone. He's just a big headed tin pot dictator nowadays.

John , Beijing, china

I presume that cabinet ministers will be setting an example by trading in their very large cars for bikes!

Thomas Slattery, Paisley, Scotland

Dear Ken,
Stop breathing because you exhaust 400 grams/year. Multiply with 6.6 bio persons on Earth!!
Please consult your dentist about your emmissionlevel and breath.
I will buy a bicycle and cycle slowly in the middle of the roads; clog it up in sheeer protest to this non sientific approach to the problem. Start Chasing the PRC industry instead. Whilst at it check up the emmission levels of all two stroke two wheelers and you will have to fine them too.

Fredrik Blix, London,

Sadly the UK has become one big ripoff. Eric Pisch , why don't you try Germany instead of America ? Public transport is efficient and reasonably priced, plenty of public holidays and a better health care system than the NHS

Paul, Württemberg,

This is another excuse not to visit London. I never go into Durham now because of this "toll tax" I am now going have to cross Manchester off my list in the near future (mind you that might not be a bad idea anway).
However as more and more councils are introducing this tax, it is not just motorists who will end up paying - we all will. This toll tax will push up prices then wages which in turn pushes up inflation leading to higher mortgage repayments amongst other things.

Mike Dales, MIDDLESBROUGH,

Who on earthy would want to visit London anyway? It is fast becoming a ghetto fo non English people.

Mark Gambrill, Whitstable, England

Meanwhile china is still opening 2 new power stations every week and belching pollutants into the air and river system, but drive a family sized car and red ken will clobber you.
This is nothing more than another stealth tax, and people should remember this come the autumn elections, if gordon brown dares.

clive lowe, stockport, manchester

You poor Brits, why don't they make it simple and just give ALL your money to the tax man and beg back what THEY think you need. Of course you aren't far from that now.

Lee, Florida USA,

Daylight Robbery (as per usual)

Steve, Kidderminster,

This is nothing but an increase in taxes and of course jealousy. The communist Ken is making London a dead city daytime. Living in central London having a big car that I need and that is just above the limit I feel punished and for what cause? I'll do my shopping after 6.30 in the evening, no difference! But,think about families with small children, the result of this will be women struggling even more between job and picking up children and buying groceries. This is nothing but a slap in the face for women and families with young children, exactly opposite what your party is preaching on other occasions. Or, should they go by bike with two children and three bags of groceries? The whole idea is absolutely insane, unfair and against what we are now learning about pollution. I'm talking about recent studies, not populistic propaganda.

Londoner, with a past of running from work to picking up from school to buying groceries in the rain. And, I needed the car!

Catherine Kallerman, London,

My family and I sold up and left London last year. We had had enough of being ripped off by Livingston and his socialist cronies. In Australia we are free to drive wherever, whatever and whenever we like without penalties. Leave London !!!

Brendan Beirne, Perth, Australia

Livingstone's style of regional taxation - which doesn't do the job that it was intended to do given the trend to recovery of pre-congestion charge, London traffic - needs to be re-thought. Yes, I am in favour of discouraging use of excessively large and powerful cars on the road, but not if the penalties become a tax on all of us, even those that don't drive cars. The blindingly obvious way of addressing the problem is to impose punitive tax on the vehicles at the point of purchase. That would selectively discourage anti-social, self-indulgence by a significant fraction of road users, including, and especially, the mothers of legless offspring taken on the school runs, and very quickly re-structure design attitudes among car manufacturers. And it would also not endanger jobs in the car industry.

Maxadolf, Epsom, UK

FANTASTIC! I am sick of walking around in clouds of smog from all the cars in London! The money raised should solely be used to improve public transport and rail links in the area.

Nicholas, London, UK

I agree something needs to be done to help the enviroment

But it reads as a money making venture by the government

Yet in reality the government has to put something into place so manufacturers lower immissions

My family and my sister by chance when buying 2 replacement cars this year were offered the option of a low emition Toyota,,, but everyone opted to purchase 2 semi modern 4 x 4s

We are located in Shropshire and unfortunately the main sales in all the local garages seem to be 4x4 s transfered up from the south

My sister who is single has commented here 4x4 has inproved her DATEING LIFE which was not expected,, she used to drive a Volkswagen previously. Now all here 225 friends / work colleges in her office place of work are looking at buying 4x4s

Nicholas Iles, Oswestry, United Kingdom

Man made global warming is beginning to be shown to be a much smaller problem than the mayor of london and his tax raising machine would have you think. In fact 96% of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is produced by nature. Next there will be Ken tree tax imposed by the sister company of transport for london - trees for London. And if we went back to the days of horse power the 4 hoofed kind there would still be an emissions tax as someone would have to clean the streets!! Although Londoners will i am sure show what they think of these idealogical dated poilcies at the next election.

Steve, Manchester, uk

so people will be driven from cities to the countryside where'll they'll drive much more, causing much more pollution.. meanwhile, cities will degenerate into places of crime, dirt, neglect, poverty and a few people clinging on to city life with their second car - a small one for city driving... typical of this government - do, do, do (no thinking).

Marco, Birmingham, uk

Just another nail in the few bits of the once great British car industry, still i guess the car workers of the Midlands (Jag & Land Rover) don't shop in London, so red Ken wont be bothered about that.

Come on Boris (Johnston) tell Ken what a self serving clown he is. and they wonder why people dont want to live here anymore (other than the people who dont live here!!)

Philip Jowett, Midlands, uk

Families would love to have small cars but with Govt rules requiring all children into specialist car seats families are forced to buy a people carrier or large estate.

DC, london,

Er - so our family of six people will have to start going around in two smaller cars instead of one six-seater? And precisely how is that going to reduce emissions?

Louise, Northampton,

Along with the Low Emission Zone due to start in Feruary this will be one more nail in the coffin for London.
When will the voters in London wake up to this madman?

Tim, SE London,

TfL should get back to basics. Any car contributes to congestion, which in turn delays buses, whose service TfL has rightly been trying to improve. Charging should be based simply on the amount of road space a vehicle takes up - in practice, its length. There will be a broad correlation between size and emissions anyway. They are, however, right to reduce the huge discount enjoyed by Central London residents, many of whom are well-off, and who have good public transport alternatives.

Barry, Wallington, UK

Politicians are just milking the environmental debate to raise yet another stealth tax.
With the introduction of house energy ratings via HIPS it won't be long before homes are levied with green taxes of £25 per day too.

Anthony, London, UK

Whilst I fully support the increased £25 pollution tax on larger vehicles, I would suggest that some form of "taper relief" be introduced for those owners of larger vehicles already living inside the congestion zone and currently receiving a 90% discount on congestion charges.

The relief could be a discount of 75% in year one, 50% in year two and 25% in year three. This relief would not be available for large vehicles purchased after say 1 January 2008.

The owners of larger vehicles acquired their cars and made their choices under circumstances which were different and have now changed. They should not be unduly penalised as they cannot just make their large cars disappear overnight!

A form of taper relief as set out would be a fair compensation in exchange for the loss of the 90% discount which is already in place. At the same time, it would give the drivers of larger high-polluting cars time to reflect and think about their choice of vehicle during the taper relief period.

Michael Parsons, London,

Where is all this money going to

G Murphy, Lisburn, Northern Ireland

Keep your 16 yo Citroen ,,the cost of producing a new car to replace it would be CATastrophic. I myself am looking for a 16yo french model...

Elwin parsley, london , UK

Err who exactly decides these things? Is it voted upon? I don't live in London, and can count the number of times I have driven to London in the past 30 years on one hand. Nevertheless, if I was a Londoner I wouldn't be at all happy.

It would be nice to see the figures for the number of cars that produce in excess of 225kg on ther roads in London versus the number of cars that produce between 120 and 225kg to enable a quick take on the "envy"issue.

Jimd, Norwich, UK

First it was a full proof system to stop congestion, now proven to have failed.

Initially this was to be a tax on 4x4's until it was pointed out that most sold are smallish engined diesels that arnt band G.

Now figures show the majority of drivers to pay this tax will be people with family cars like the espace so its become an "enviromental tax"

A cynical person might look at the woefully inaccurate bid for the 2012 olympics and the huge shortfall that has been exposed but not I....

Mayor Ken needs to be stoped and is a perfect example of our political system gone insane. I am really growing to hate living in this country and even America seams better.

Eric Pisch, London,

Tax! Tax! and more Tax! Maybe if give all my hard-earned pay directly to commie Ken's tinpot regime then all the world's problem's will be solved. Hmmm, I think not.

Who will oppose these repressive and depressive socialists? Dave? Are you there Dave? Dave...?

David Rochester, Liverpool,

Excellent initiative!

Johnes, Oxford,

I'll be back in a minute... I'm just off to the USA to buy myself a hydrogen fuelled 300bhp Shelby Cobra to go with my hydrogen burning Humvie...

Dick, Aberdeenshire,

Is Livingstone in a competition with Gordon Brown to see who can raise the most Tax ?

A cynic might wonder whether some of the huge amounts of revenue raised might somehow be used to pay for the 2012 Olympics.

Rick, Greater London, England

Come Boris, put Red Ken back into the Asylum where he belongs, the guy is crazy!

george, Hemstead, Kent

Don't worry Peter, they'll still find a way to fleece you.

Michael, Dubai,

So, having secretly wasted billions of pounds on the congestion charge where traffic is now at 92% of precharging levels and rising, Ken Livingstone has to bring in another extortionate charge to pay for his failed policies. If traffic levels become the same as the precharging level then all drivers will, of course, get a full refund or was congestion charging just another Socialist/Marxist inspired tax.

Other cities are also being blackmailed by the government to accept the same failed policy or suffer a massive withdrawal of transport grants. It is time these councils stood up and told the truth about rip-off Britain. But as this government is ordered to comply by Federal Europe it won't happen.

JosephG, Great Wyrley, UK

If we had a proper public transport network e.g. with trains where we could actually find a seat, that is comfortable and that ran on time and didn't cost half the days wages, perhaps more people would be inclined to use them.

Farrukh, Woking, UK

Yet more eco-twaddle. Ken Livingstone is, of course, a qualified scientist, therefore knows what he's talking about. Er....I don't think so. This is just about pure socialist jealousy. I can't have a decent car, so you can't. Once again the gullible British will fall for it.

Dave, Notts, UK

Its not just a pollution charge, its a tax on large families. Need a large vehicle to take the kids around - you are screwed.

Christopher Holland, Canberra, Australia

Er - so our family of six people will have to start going around in two smaller cars instead of one six-seater? And precisely how is that going to reduce emissions?

Louise, Northampton,

This is all wrong. London cannot levy a tax on pollution to save the world, whilst the rest of the world does nothing. I will refuse to pay the tax and will definitely be doing my research into my rights and how i can attain them. It is another prime example of money making. If it is nothing to do with money. Then why not have a choice? instead of the 8-25 pounds to London, why not to some other offsetting programmes? what exactly will Ken do with the money? apart from investing it into London? surely it should go to efforts for reducing climate change... and i want to have a choice to which ones, at least!

Michael, London,

TAX TAX TAX> Just another money spinner to bleed every last drop out of motorists! im self employed so my expenses get passed on to the customer, every business will do the same. result = higher pricers for everything. Its about time we got rid of the clowns.

H, london,

The workers in Land Rover, and Jaguar will pay the price for this envy tax.

Charles Daniels, Lady Lake, Florida

Is this just on new cars? What about older ones that weren't rated for their emissions? My 16 years old Citroen is still in excellent order and has many more years in it, but I haven't a clue what emissions it produces.

Peter, Oxford,