British to be Taxed by the Mile

It is a scheme that Libertarian have been dreaming about for years: charge for the exact use of roads, rather than taxing business or people in order to keep them up. But now, Britain is looking to take the idea to an extreme. They are planning to use satellites to track every car in Britain and charge them by the mile for the privilege of driving.

In an interview with The Independent on Sunday, Mr Darling warned that unless action is taken now, the country "could face gridlock" within two decades.
Official research suggests national road pricing could increase the capacity of Britain's network by as much as 40 per cent at a stroke, he said.
The rapid uptake of satellite navigational technology in cars is helping to usher in the new "pay-as-you-drive" charge much sooner than had been expected. Figures contained in a government feasibility study have suggested motorists could pay up to £1.34 for each mile they travel during peak hours on the most congested roads.
Although a fully operational national scheme is still considered to be a decade away, Mr Darling said local schemes could be up and running within five years. Manchester is considered a front-runner, with local authorities in the Midlands and London also pressing to be considered for a £2.5bn central fund to introduce the change.

In some ways, this is an expansion of the old toll road idea. But it will mean that the government will always know exactly where every motorist is, and there will be no way to be a commuter without paying thru the nose. It scares me just how many rights are being surrendered here, in the name of easy billing.