ah what it must be to be a cash cow

[GastonJ]

David Cameron has called for an "urgent" increase in private investment to improve England's road network.

He said tolls for new roads were one option, alongside attracting more money from pension funds and other investors.

Work was also needed to relieve gridlock by widening "pinch points" and allowing traffic to use motorway hard shoulders, the prime minister said.

But Labour said it would be "wrong" to "load extra costs on ordinary families" to pay for improvements to roads.

In a speech on infrastructure, the prime minister said there was an urgent need to repair its "decades-long degradation" and to "build for the future with as much confidence and ambition as the Victorians once did".

BBC News - Private cash needed to boost roads network, says David Cameron

My only comment on this is:

I have no idea why the government is short of money when Government revenue from fuel duties was ?25.894 billion, with a further ?3.884 billion being raised from the VAT on the duty, add to that revenue from vehicle excise duties of ?5.63 billion in 2009. Probably above ?40 billion a year now with the price increases in fuel.

It does look like successive governments see the motorist as a cash cow, the current one more so than ever.

[badapple]

So where is all the money from the car road tax going???
If you bring in private copmanies to operate the road system, as per the norm, the first & last line will read...PROFIT.
~~~~ that, more taxes to pay.

[tshirtman]

So where is all the money from the car road tax going???

He's saving it for tax cuts just before the next election.

[Canker_Canison]

I'm not going to defend the plonker. Toll roads have been proven not to work, we would rather sit in traffic than pay more to get from A to B.

But we had an improvement to a major dual carriageway part paid for by private investment. No tolls. It worked for us...although it is a bit of an accident spot now due to idiots not reading lane markings.

These road improvements will only work if tolls are banned. There should be enough money from government to make it happen. They just need to stop paying stupid amounts on contracts for the work.

[jordigirl]

so if they "privatise" the roads will the road tax be scrapped ???

[GastonJ]

so if they "privatise" the roads will the road tax be scrapped ???

the idea is to take more money off the motorist, so don't hold your breath.

[gc1966]

they intimated paying a portion of the current road fund license to any company that invests but being cynical as i am shouts big hikes in road tax will soon follow.

[GastonJ]

Goes back to what I was saying then. Paying "a portion" of road fund license to any company that invests indicates that they have more than enough money from the probably ?40 billion they get now. Seems to me that a company, or companies close to the governments heart will make the money off this one.

[gc1966]

yes,the two go hand in hand

and how many minsters will have seats on boards of these private investing firms

[johnboy1974]

What planet do these people live on- The whole ~~~~ing country is up in arms at the cost of motoring, with the uk paying the most duty in the whole of europe and this cretin thinks we should pay more.

[GastonJ]

Well did anyone seriously think that the banks would pay back the money they owed? usually works this way. We pay more tax to bail out the banks. The banks don't want to pay us back so... they get the government to award contracts to them (that we pay for as well obviously) or companies that borrow our money form them, and we the lucky ones pay the companies/banks money to pay us back with. Simples really, costs the banks nothing, doesn't cost the government anything because we're paying and it means we have less, so spend less and drive down inflation.

For a real fiasco check out HM Paymaster General and who now runs their services and when that was awarded. Nice little earner for Citibank and RBS, can't lose.

"he Government Banking Service (GBS) was established in April 2008 and is the banking shared service provider to government and the wider public sector. It is part of HM Revenue & Customs and incorporates the Office of HM Paymaster General (OPG) who had provided banking services to the public sector since 1836."

This bit's the killer...

"Our banking partners
The Government Banking Service provides cost-effective banking transaction services to its customers through contracts with Citigroup and Royal Bank of Scotland Group
Our customers make payments and collect receipts through their respective Citigroup and RBSG accounts."

Awarded in April 2008 right when they had no money. Bet they don't do that for free....

[Meat-Head]

OFf tOppIC:-

How could a bank run out of money


on topic

if no road tax and bit moore on fuel costs would be fair on dk members who do loow miles a year

[GastonJ]

Off Topic, they don't they get money from us.
On Topic, they won't they'll just ask for more money.

A theme running here which indicates that the public will always pick up the tab.

[aleister crowley]

To be fair I don't think he's advocating putting the cost on to the average road user.
The road infrastructure is an essential part of modern life and there is good money to be made in priority lanes and routes. Whether just businessmen in a rush, haulage firms that can't afford delay, couriers... there are plenty of people who could take advantage.
The government aren't suggesting any RAISE in price to the average driver - you use the routes you already use, and it stays the same. They're just proposing that contractors could buy the extra lane on the motorway for BIG money and toll it out.
Can't see any difference to offering private healthcare in addition to existing NHS services, offering fee-paid schools over existing state schools, and so on. They're simply looking at permitting people to create commerce in the roads industry, commerce that in turn will push more money back into the state roads system.

[GastonJ]

and the close to ?40 billion a year that the UK motorists will continue to pay will go where? and a quote form the man himself

""But we now need to be more ambitious. Why is it that other infrastructure - for example water - is funded by private sector capital through privately owned, independently regulated, utilities... but roads in Britain call on the public finances for funding?"

because the public already pay ?40 billion a year for them maybe

"A feasibility study looking at "new ownership and financing models" for roads will be carried out by the Treasury and Department of Transport, to report by the autumn."

Looks like trying to sell off or charge for them all, not just new ones. Sell us something we've already paid for and continue to pay for, nothing new in that. Take a look at how TSB was sold off.

Slogan for the M25 - "Welcome to the M25 owned by NCP"

Have to add water is a really bad example, company gets lots of leaks and who pays? If there's a drought and you can't use as much does your bill go down?
So is electricity oddly enough, "let's subsidise windfarms to be switched off", or "lets build new stations oh yes the public will pay".
Perhaps they'll use the railways as an example next...