[pp.int.general] Big Brother in NL?

[Reinier Bakels]

>> My own position (until someone comvinces me I am wrong ...) is that a 
>> road pricing project is difficult and risky for many reasons, BUT that it 
>> is OK as a matter of principle to charge automobile owners for *using 
>> roads* instead for *owning a car*.
>
> There is already usage based pricing on cars, and that is through the fuel 
> taxes already in place.
>
> A less efficient car stuck in traffic will end up paying a higher usage 
> through the increased fuel consumption.
>
> You have to be careful with that kind of project shrouded in greeness 
> which only end up being a tax grab.

The taxation of automobiles (at least in my country) *is* one big tax grab:
- you pay an additional tax (added to the VAT) when you purchase a car
- you pay a yearly "road tax" which is admitted *not* to be used to finance 
the bulilding and maintenance of roads, but to finance anything taxpayers 
pay for.

I admit, fuel tax already introduces a usage-dependent factor. This will 
become much stronger with road princing. Which is only fair in my opinion.

I am still curious whether it is fundamentally (im)possible to build a 
proper road taxing system:
- budget neutral
- privacy conscious
- reasonably hackerproof (using technical+organisational+legal means)

reinier