EXCLUSIVE: A stunning new poll has showed a lack of suppprt for Rachel Reeves’ final leaving present to UK drivers.
Rachel Reeves’ final leaving present for UK motorists has been firmly rejected by Britons in an explosive new Express poll. The former Chancellor confirmed the introduction of new pay-per-mile fees last November in one of her final moves in Number 11 Downing Street. The new electric Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) fee will see electric cars charged 3p per mile to use the road from April 2028, with plug-in hybrids paying 1.5p per mile.
It means electric car owners travelling an average of 10,000 miles per year will be forced to cough up £300 every 12 months to stay on the road. The move was tipped to be unpopular amongst road users, but Express readers are clearly not happy over the prospect of paying another bill.
When asked if a pay-per-mile tax charge should be implemented in the UK, a staggering 83% of the 54,548 total respondents, well over 45,000 individuals, said that a charge should not come into effect. Just 15% of those polled, a total of 8,119 individuals, said that a pay-per-mile fee should be considered.
However, some are yet to make up their minds, with 2% of respondents admitting they don’t know either way. The news could put pressure on Andy Burnham and new Chancellor John Healey to reconsider the update before it comes into effect in just over a year and a half.
Angry motorists didn’t stop there, venting their frustration at what some have blasted as a “cash cow” policy. Express reader @geoffreytro added: “A completely unfair tax from a clueless Chancellor.”
Parkend97 posted: “So they go on about working hard, but why should you if all Labour wants to do is tax you to the hilt and bleed you dry of every penny they can get out of you in more tax.”
Express reader ‘peterinmk’ remarked: “This a repeat of the government telling everyone to buy diesel engines cars ‘to save the planet’ then later on the people who did are vilified for doing so.”
Another reader, ‘covkid1953’ said: “This is a cash cow exercise, nothing more.”
New EV fees are being considered due to concerns that fuel duty revenues will fall as more road users switch away from petrol and diesel vehicles. HMRC stressed that eVED is intended to replace lost fuel duty revenue from cars over the long term, with the amount motorists pay set to vary based on the amount they drive.