As an object lesson in how the process of regulation is hijacked by rich and powerful interests, today’s introduction of a £10 Toxic – or ‘T’ – Charge on cars over 11 years old entering Central London during peak hours could hardly be bettered. Almost everyone is in favour of clean air, but the effect of this charge will be to tax the poor and excuse the wealthy while adding to the revenues of car manufacturers who have shown contempt for emissions laws.
The charge is to be levied only on cars which fail to meet the Euro 4 regulations on car emissions – which effectively means any car manufactured before 2006, when the regulations were introduced. If newer cars really did emit fewer emissions the concept would be reasonable enough. Yet over the past couple of years it has become clear that new diesel vehicles, when driven on the road in real life, are emitting many more times the levels of pollutants – especially nitrogen oxides — which they emit when tested in workshop conditions.
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