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Extra X Percentage Of Tax For Free Public Transport?
The_Awakend
Posts: 773 Forum Member
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The argument is that we all pay an extra fixed percentage (say 10%) of tax on earnings for completely free publicly owned public transport?
The average person who commutes to work probably pays more than that. With re-investment and more services more people would be inclined to leave their cars at home, meaning less congestion and a better quality of travel.
Arguments for and against?
The average person who commutes to work probably pays more than that. With re-investment and more services more people would be inclined to leave their cars at home, meaning less congestion and a better quality of travel.
Arguments for and against?
0
Comments
I'd rather keep that extra 10% of tax in my own pocket and drive to work in my nice comfortable car and not share my commuting space with the great unwashed.
Then you surely can afford the extra 10% for a service you don't use?
No thanks, I'll keep the money.
My tax bill is already huge. I contribute plenty.
I'm afraid that's their lookout and not everyone else's. If you live/work in major cities, you accept you need to use and pay for public transport. I see no reason anyone should expect it for free.
And it's a bullshit La-la-land territory to suggest that if a load of money was pumped into it, we'd end up with a brilliant public transport system that worked well for everyone across the country.
Major cities, you mean London?
Even if the extra tax afforded you less busy roads to drive your nice comfortable car on?
In a heartbeat. Less busy roads to drive my nice comfortable car on is nowhere near worth an extra 10% in tax per year thanks.
Huge investment needed which would probably cost more than the 10% figure mooted in the OP. Nice idea in a perfect world though.
Maybe not 10% though - I think 10% across the board would be massively too much. Probably closer to 1% to 2% would be more realistically, though I haven't crunched the numbers to check this.
Are you aware that raising most peoples tax by 10% would see them struggle and some it would possibly mean they could not afford enough food for kids or to pay the mortgage.
Now I have access to a car for work. Less than £10 in petrol a week, 20 minute commute to work, 30 minute commute home.
It's no competition between the 2. Even if public transport was cheaper I would still use my car as I value my time
Well when you have crunched the numbers, come back and ask me again if you so desire.
As a principle though, I don't agree with it and don't believe we would ever get to a situation where public transport is a realistic alternative for everyone.
Don't bet on it. My parents have been paying for rubbish collection through their council tax for the past 30 years and have never received it.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/08/02/gig_economy/
You need to read past/through the first half of the first page to get to the bit that's relevant to this thread.
Nah, I'm not bothered enough about this to do the leg work.
The best you could reasonably do would be:
* A half mile walk from our offices to the nearest housing estate. (10 minutes for most people)
* Catch a bus from there to the town centre bus station. (15 minutes)
* Catch a bus to my town (20 minutes assuming it was financially viable to ignore the villages and run a direct bus service).
Compare to my current commute: 20 minutes door to door even on a bad day. Most days it's 15 minutes.
But i'm entitled